Sony α7 III · Cloud storage

Sony α7 III to Google Drive: auto-upload as you shoot

Tether your Sony α7 III to your phone over USB or Wi-Fi and deliver every shot straight to Google Drive the instant you press the shutter — no laptop, no SD-card import. Shared Drives for teams already on Google Workspace.

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Sony α7 III setup About Google Drive

By the CloudTether team · Updated 9 Nov 2026

A photographer showing guests the back of the camera at a corporate event — the kind of shoot where Sony α7 III photos go live to Google Drive — Photo: Tahir Xəlfəquliyev / Pexels

How it works for Sony α7 III → Google Drive

Your phone sits between the camera and Google Drive: no laptop, no card reader.

Step 1
Sony α7 III
Connect it to your phone with a USB-C data cable or over Wi-Fi, then shoot as normal.
Step 2
Your phone
CloudTether copies each full-resolution photo off the camera seconds after the shutter and uploads it once.
Step 3
Google Drive
Every shot lands in Google Drive while you keep shooting — and in any other destination on the shoot.

How to live-upload Sony α7 III photos to Google Drive

Connect your Sony α7 III to your phone and every shot lands in Google Drive live as you shoot. Here's the full setup, start to finish:

1
Connect your Sony α7 III
Connect over USB with the camera in PC Remote mode for a stable, high-speed tether. Newer bodies (α1, α9 III, α7 IV, α7R V, α7C II) can also tether over Wi-Fi with wireless PC Remote — not yet tested by us, so USB is the dependable path. In PC Remote, set Still Img. Save Dest. to PC+Camera to keep a copy on the card.
2
Connect Google Drive
Connects via Google OAuth — scoped to a folder you choose. Pick where photos should land — route per-session folders into a Shared Drive so the whole team has instant access.
3
Shoot as normal
Every frame your Sony α7 III captures is detected and downloaded at full resolution while you keep shooting — JPEG, or RAW.
4
Photos deliver to Google Drive
Each photo uploads from your phone once and lands in Google Drive live, seconds after the shutter — and fans out to any other destinations on the session too.

Google Drive in the CloudTether app

Connect Google Drive once, then every shoot from your Sony α7 III can deliver to it.

CloudTether Deliver tab with Google Drive among the connected services — Connect Google Drive once in the Deliver tab.

CloudTether delivery receipt: 1,228 photos delivered to Google Drive in a folder named after the shoot, with an Open link — Each shoot gets its own folder in Google Drive; the receipt links straight to it.

Connecting the Sony α7 III

The α7 III has a USB-C port alongside its older Multi/Micro USB terminal; use the USB-C port and a data cable to a USB-C phone or iPad, or Apple's camera adapter for a Lightning iPhone. Set MENU → Setup → USB Connection → PC Remote first. Any other USB mode (mass storage, MTP) mounts the card instead of tethering, and an active smartphone connection keeps the port busy.

On current firmware the PC Remote settings include Still Img. Save Dest.; choose PC+Camera so the card keeps a copy of every frame. Treat the α7 III as a USB body in CloudTether: its wireless tethering is limited compared with newer Alphas, and the cable is the path we support for paid work.

Every shot is sent — rated send isn't available over Sony tethering. The α7 III offers compressed RAW, which keeps ARW files lighter; over mobile data, RAW+JPEG with JPEG only is the fastest way to keep a gallery current while the ARW stays on the card.

The α7 III is one of the most widely owned full-frame bodies, often kept as a second camera next to an α7 IV. Because it's a USB body in CloudTether, plan the cable route: a short USB-C cable to a phone on the strap or a belt clip, with strain relief at the camera end so the port isn't levered.

Getting the most out of Google Drive

Google Drive stores every file untouched — CR3, NEF, ARW, RAF and JPEG — in a folder you choose, with a folder per shoot inside it, and CloudTether's Google access is scoped to that folder. Teams on Google Workspace can route shoots into a Shared Drive, so editors, producers and the client's comms team all see each frame without being invited file by file.

Drive previews JPEGs instantly in a browser or the Drive app; RAW files are there to download into Lightroom or Capture One later. If people will look at photos on their phones during the event, send JPEGs or 2048 px copies to that folder and keep the RAW in a separate backup.

For a press office or agency, a Drive folder is often the hand-off the client already uses: editors open it in a browser, search by name or date and download what they need. Because each shoot gets its own folder inside the one you picked, a multi-day conference stays organised by day without sorting afterwards. If the organisation restricts third-party apps, a Workspace admin may need to allow CloudTether before you can pick a Shared Drive.

Share the parent folder once — shoot folders created inside it inherit its sharing.
Uploads count against the Google account's or Shared Drive's storage.
Drive works over mobile data, so no venue Wi-Fi is needed.

A typical Sony α7 III to Google Drive workflow

Put the α7 III in PC Remote over USB, disconnect any smartphone pairing, and choose the Google Drive folder you want each shoot to go into.
Shoot RAW+JPEG; send JPEGs to the shared Drive folder so the team can use them immediately.
Keep the compressed ARW files on the card or in a second destination for later editing.

Sony α7 III to Google Drive: what to know

The Sony α7 III is a full-frame body — all-round wedding, portrait and event workhorse — one of the most popular full-frame bodies. CloudTether pulls each frame off it the moment you shoot and delivers it to Google Drive: the JPEG, the ARW RAW, or both, exactly as the camera wrote them.

ARW files are far larger than JPEGs, so if your Google Drive recipients only need to view or pick images, deliver JPEG for the fastest turnaround and keep the ARW originals on the card or in a second destination.

How photos route to Google Drive

Route per-session folders into a Shared Drive so the whole team has instant access.

How it connects

Connects via Google OAuth — scoped to a folder you choose.

Sony α7 III to Google Drive — FAQ

Can I upload Sony α7 III photos to Google Drive automatically?

Yes. Tether your Sony α7 III to your phone with CloudTether over USB or Wi-Fi, and every shot uploads to Google Drive live as you shoot — no card offload and no card import.

Can I send Sony α7 III photos to Google Drive live while I'm shooting?

Yes — each frame lands in Google Drive seconds after the shutter, live, while you keep shooting. There's no SD-card step in the middle.

How does CloudTether connect my Sony α7 III to Google Drive?

Your Sony α7 III tethers to your phone over USB or its own Wi-Fi; connects via Google OAuth — scoped to a folder you choose.

Do I need a laptop to send Sony photos to Google Drive?

No. CloudTether runs on your phone — your Sony α7 III connects to the phone and uploads straight to Google Drive over mobile data or Wi-Fi, anywhere you have signal.

Can I send RAW files from my Sony α7 III to Google Drive?

Yes. Google Drive receives the files exactly as your Sony α7 III wrote them — RAW, JPEG or both. To save mobile data, turn on JPEG only and leave RAW files on the camera.

Why won't my α7 III show up to send photos to Google Drive?

Most often its USB mode isn't PC Remote, or the cable only charges. Set USB Connection to PC Remote, use a data cable in the USB-C port, and close any smartphone connection.