Automatically save photos with OneDrive for Android and iOS

Use the OneDrive app for Android or iOS to automatically upload your camera roll. Choose your device's tab for setup instructions.

Camera backup uploads photos and videos to OneDrive; it doesn't sync them both ways. After photos and videos finish uploading, you can delete them from your device without affecting the copies in OneDrive.

Keep the OneDrive app running in the background. Closing the app can prevent automatic uploads.

Back up your camera roll to OneDrive on Android

Important

You can use camera backup with only one account at a time. If you also use OneDrive for work or school, select the account you want to back up photos to before turning on camera backup.

  1. In the OneDrive app, tap the account image at the top left of the app.
  2. Tap Turn on below the "Camera backup is off" text.
  3. Tap Confirm.
  4. Give OneDrive access to your photos and videos when prompted so camera backup can run continuously in the background.
  5. To automatically back up videos, tap your account image, then Settings > Camera backup, and turn on Include videos.

Note

  • To help preserve your device battery, select the Backup only when charging checkbox in the camera backup settings.
  • The OneDrive cloud icon might briefly appear in your Android notifications as part of the normal backup process.

Back up extra photo folders to OneDrive on Android

After you turn on camera backup, you can also back up folders where you save or receive images, such as images from social media and third-party photo editing apps.

  1. In the OneDrive app, tap the account image at the top of the app.
  2. Tap Settings , then Camera backup.
  3. Tap Back up device folders.
  4. Turn the categorize toggle on to keep the original folders, or turn it off to put all images in your Camera Roll folder.
  5. Scroll through the list and choose which folders you want to back up.

See also

Troubleshoot camera roll backup issues in OneDrive

Upload HEIF and HEVC photos and videos to OneDrive

Manually upload files or photos to OneDrive in iOS

Manually upload files or photos with OneDrive for Android

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