Skip to main content

Online photo storage and backup

Dropbox lets you back up photos and videos to the cloud from iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac devices, as well as your camera.

A blue Dropbox folder icon
Back up photos automatically

Whether they’re memories from family vacations or digital assets for work projects, your online photos are some of your most important files. Backing up full-resolution copies to cloud storage can give you peace of mind. Dropbox can keep your photos safe in several ways:

  • Camera uploads — Photos from your phone or tablet will be automatically backed up to Dropbox. Or in our desktop app, photos will be copied from cameras, memory cards, or mobile devices whenever you connect one to your computer.
  • Screenshot backups — Set up our desktop app to automatically move screenshot images to your Dropbox account, or back up mobile device screenshots using camera uploads.
  • Document scanning — The Dropbox mobile app lets you use your phone’s camera to scan and make digital backups of receipts, whiteboards, and paper documents.
Photos backed up to cloud storage on a mobile device
Organize and browse photos

Dropbox makes it easy to get to your image and video files once they’re backed up.

  • Windows and Mac sync — In the Dropbox desktop app, you’ll find all your photos in folders you can access from Windows File Explorer and macOS Finder. Organize them into subfolders or edit them in your favorite software, just like any other file. Your changes will update on other devices connected to your Dropbox account.
  • Photo browsing — View and browse all of your photos and videos from the Photos tab in our mobile app or on the web
  • Image previews — View over 35 image file types from dropbox.com or our mobile app. Preview common files like JPEG, PNG, and GIF; app-specific types like Photoshop and Illustrator; raw formats like CR2, DCR, and DNG; and even iOS HEIC photos. Best of all, there’s no need for special photo software.
  • Image tagging — Add searchable hashtags to individual photos or an entire folder to find files fast.
A collection of photos that have been saved in Dropbox
Share and distribute photos

Sending pics of the kids to the grandparents? Transferring image assets to clients or customers? Dropbox makes it simple and secure.

  • Shared links — Easily create a link to share any file or folder in your Dropbox. Copy and paste links into emails, text messages, or chats to share with anyone—even if they don’t have a Dropbox account.
  • Access control — Keep your photos in the right hands. Add password protection, expiration dates, and sign-in requirements to your shared links.
  • Shared folders  — Want to collect your photos and someone else’s in the same place? Share files by inviting others to sync a folder between your account and theirs.
User creating a link to a file to share online
Get space to store photos

No matter how many images you need to keep safe in the cloud, Dropbox can help you store them all.

  • Storage options — Start with 2 GB of free storage. When you need more, paid plans offer 2 or 3 TB for your photos, videos and other files. Subscriptions for teams start with 5 TB or more.
  • Save hard drive space — Mark photo and video files and folders you don’t need straight away as online-only. They’ll still show up in Windows File Explorer and macOS Finder, but will only take up a small amount of space until you need them.
A collection of photos in the photo library of a user’s camera

Frequently asked questions

Storing your photos in Dropbox is simple. It’s easy to get to your image and video files once they're backed up—across all your devices. You can use a web browser to store, browse, and share from your account. 

For Windows and Mac sync, install the Dropbox desktop app, and all your photos will appear in folders you can access from Windows File Explorer and macOS Finder. You can also upload and access all your backed up photos to your mobile device using the Dropbox mobile app. Because your photos are stored in the cloud, you can access them from any device using Dropbox, no matter where you are.

Learning how to back up photos to the cloud is effortless with Dropbox. All you have to do is save your photos to Dropbox and they’re immediately backed up to the cloud from your iPhone, Android, Windows, or Mac. They’re then easily accessible across your devices.

Dropbox makes it easy—and automatic—to back up your photos on an iPhone or Android device. When you enable camera uploads, your photos will upload to the camera uploads folder in your Dropbox account.

The camera uploads feature also gives you the option to back up your photos the moment they are sent from your mobile device to Dropbox. After your photos have been uploaded, you can move them to a different folder in your Dropbox account.

Check out Dropbox Backup, a simple and secure cloud backup and recovery solution for your computer and external hard drives.

Easily back up content like photos, videos, and personal documents from folders on your computer like Documents, Desktop, and Downloads. You can even back up your entire external hard drive—and quickly recover your files if your device crashes or gets lost or stolen.

See more features

A Dropbox folder with a cloud icon

Photo transfer

Quickly transfer photos between devices and easily share with anyone

Backup files on the cloud

File backup

Back up your files simply and securely to protect against data loss

A collection of files being stored in a folder

Automatic backup

Easily back up your computer and external drive to the cloud

A folder, and image, and a doc being saved to the cloud

Save space

Manage your disk space with safe and secure online storage