Auto Upload Photos to OneDrive From Your Camera
To auto upload photos from your camera to OneDrive, tether the camera to your phone. CloudTether connects a Canon, Nikon, Sony or Fujifilm to your iPhone or Android phone over USB or Wi-Fi, and every photo you take — RAW, JPEG or both — is uploaded into the OneDrive folder you choose within seconds, in its own subfolder for the shoot. It works with personal Microsoft accounts and work or school accounts.
- Personal or work and school OneDrive
- RAW and JPEG, full resolution
- A subfolder per shoot, in the folder you pick
- Uploads over mobile data or Wi-Fi
7-day free trial · iPhone, iPad and Android
How it works: connect, choose, shoot
Your phone sits between the camera and OneDrive: it pulls each photo off the camera, uploads it once, and CloudTether delivers it to OneDrive — plus any other destinations on the shoot.
- 1
Connect your camera to your phone
Open CloudTether and tap “Connect a camera”. Plug in a USB-C cable (on Sony set the USB mode to PC Remote, on Fujifilm to USB tether), or tap “Wi-Fi” for guided wireless set-up — Canon uses the camera's “Remote control (EOS Utility)” function. The camera stays connected while you shoot for OneDrive.
- 2
Connect OneDrive and choose a folder
In the Deliver tab, add OneDrive and sign in with your Microsoft account — personal, or work or school. Browse to the folder photos should go into. By default each shoot gets its own subfolder there, named after the shoot.
- 3
Shoot — every file lands in OneDrive
Take a test shot and look for it in OneDrive. Then keep shooting: each file comes off the camera at full resolution, uploads once from your phone and is saved into the shoot's OneDrive folder seconds later, where your team can open it or you can share a link.
Screenshots of every step are in the quick start guide. New to tethering? Start with camera tethering software or camera to cloud.
What lands where in OneDrive
| Where files land | A folder in your own OneDrive that you pick — with a new subfolder for each shoot, unless you choose to deliver straight into the folder. |
|---|---|
| Accounts | Personal Microsoft accounts and work or school (Microsoft 365) accounts. Files go into that account's own OneDrive, not a SharePoint site library. |
| File types | Everything the camera records: RAW (CR3, NEF, ARW, RAF…), JPEG and HEIF. Video clips can go too — new, so test first. |
| Size | Originals by default. Smaller JPEG copies can be set in the shoot's Delivery resolution; RAW files are always sent full size. |
| Big files | Large RAW files and clips are uploaded to OneDrive in chunks, so a 50 MB file is no problem. |
| Which shots | Every shot, JPEGs only, or only the ones you rate on the camera (Canon and Nikon). |
Why photographers deliver to OneDrive
OneDrive is where a lot of clients already work. Corporate comms teams, schools, councils and agencies on Microsoft 365 can open a OneDrive folder without a new account, and IT has usually approved it already. Sending event photos straight into OneDrive means the client's team is editing a post or a newsletter while you're still on the floor.
It's also a straightforward off-site backup. Because OneDrive takes any file type, RAW files go up alongside the JPEGs — every frame is safe somewhere other than your card before you've left the venue.
Folders, shoots and sharing
You choose a OneDrive folder once — say “Clients/2026” — and each shoot you start creates its own subfolder inside it, named after the shoot. That keeps jobs apart without any filing. If you'd rather everything went into one folder, deliver straight into the folder instead of a subfolder per shoot.
To share with a client, share the shoot's folder from OneDrive in the usual way; new photos appear in it as they arrive, so one link works for the whole day. Need the same photos somewhere else as well? Add Dropbox, a client gallery or an SFTP server to the shoot — the phone still uploads each shot only once.
Faster uploads on mobile data
Every shot travels from camera to phone and then from phone to OneDrive. The first leg is quick — a median 0.06 s per JPEG over USB on a Canon EOS R5 Mark II in our app logs — but RAW files are big, and the second leg runs on your phone's signal. If you shoot RAW+JPEG and only need JPEGs today, turn on “JPEG only — leave RAW files on the camera”. Or keep RAW but use “Send RAW files later” so JPEGs go now and RAW files wait for Wi-Fi.
On Canon and Nikon, “Only shots I rate in camera” sends just your picks. Over Sony and Fujifilm tethering every shot is sent.
Who sends photos to OneDrive as they shoot
Selects in the comms team's OneDrive while the keynote is still running.
Photos in the institution's Microsoft 365 account, where staff can find them.
Raw files straight into the shared workflow, no hand-over drive.
Every RAW and JPEG in OneDrive before you leave the venue.
Good to know
- • Files go to the signed-in account's own OneDrive. SharePoint site document libraries aren't a delivery target; share the OneDrive folder with colleagues instead.
- • Work and school accounts may need your IT admin to allow third-party apps.
- • RAW, JPEG and HEIF all upload. Video clips are new in CloudTether 1.1 — record a test clip with your camera first.
- • No signal? Shots wait on the phone and upload automatically when you're back online.
- • You can keep a copy of every shot on the phone as well, alongside OneDrive.
Send photos to OneDrive from your camera
Set-up for your brand, including the camera setting that matters (PC Remote on Sony, USB tether on Fujifilm, EOS Utility mode for Canon Wi-Fi):
See all supported cameras, or tether from your iPhone, Android phone or wirelessly.
OneDrive upload FAQ
Can I automatically upload photos from my camera to OneDrive?
Yes. CloudTether tethers your Canon, Nikon, Sony or Fujifilm to your phone over USB or Wi-Fi and uploads every photo into the OneDrive folder you choose, seconds after you take it — no card reader or computer.
Does it upload RAW files to OneDrive?
Yes. OneDrive accepts any file type, so CR3, NEF, ARW, RAF and other RAW files upload at full size alongside JPEGs. Large files are sent in chunks.
Does it work with OneDrive for Business?
Yes. Sign in with a work or school (Microsoft 365) account and photos go into that account's OneDrive. Some organisations require an admin to approve third-party apps first. SharePoint site libraries aren't a delivery target.
How are folders organised?
You pick a folder and each shoot gets its own subfolder inside it, named after the shoot. You can also deliver straight into the folder without a subfolder.
Can I share the OneDrive folder with a client during the shoot?
Yes. Share the shoot's folder from OneDrive; new photos appear in it as they're uploaded, so the same link works all day.
Do I need Wi-Fi at the venue?
No. The phone uploads over mobile data and the camera connects by cable or its own Wi-Fi. With no signal, shots wait on the phone and upload when you're back online.
Can I send JPEGs only to save data?
Yes. Turn on “JPEG only — leave RAW files on the camera” in the shoot's settings, or use “Send RAW files later” so RAW files wait for Wi-Fi while JPEGs go straight away.
Can it upload video to OneDrive?
CloudTether 1.1 can send clips you record while tethered, and OneDrive takes them. It's new and depends on the camera announcing the clip, so record a short test first and use USB for big files.
Start sending to OneDrive today
Install CloudTether, connect your camera and OneDrive, and take a test shot. One plan with everything included, starting with a 7-day free trial.