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To stop OneDrive uploading only screenshots from a phone, remove the Screenshots folder from the app’s camera-upload selection: on iPhone or iPad, open Me/profile > Settings > Camera Upload > Organize by source and uncheck Screenshots; on Android, open account image > Settings > Camera backup > Back up device folders and deselect Screenshots. To stop all mobile camera uploads, turn off Camera Upload or Camera backup for the intended account instead. These settings prevent future automatic uploads; they do not remove files already stored in OneDrive.
Choose the fix that matches where the uploads start
OneDrive can upload images from more than a phone’s main camera folder. Microsoft Support’s article “Seeing pictures that are not my photos in OneDrive” names social media, downloads, and screenshots as examples of other folders that may be included in camera-roll upload. That is why screenshots can appear in OneDrive even when you did not deliberately save them to the camera folder.
| Where the screenshots are coming from | What to change | What stays enabled |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone or iPad | Uncheck Screenshots under Organize by source | Camera Upload can continue for the other selected sources |
| Android phone or tablet | Deselect Screenshots under Back up device folders | Camera backup can continue for the other selected folders |
| All mobile image uploads | Turn off Camera Upload or Camera backup for the selected account | No mobile camera folders are automatically uploaded by that setting |
| Windows PC | Check whether the screenshot save location is inside a folder OneDrive syncs | Other OneDrive syncing can remain enabled if you adjust the relevant folder or save location |
Use the narrow folder exclusion if you want photos from other sources to keep uploading. Use the all-upload switch only if you want to stop the phone’s camera backup altogether. On a PC, first distinguish a file being synced from a OneDrive folder from a phone camera upload; they are different routes.
Stop screenshot uploads on iPhone or iPad
- Open the OneDrive app and select the Me or profile icon.
- Open Settings > Camera Upload > Organize by source.
- Find Screenshots in the source or folder list and uncheck it. Uncheck any other source you also do not want uploaded.
- Leave Camera Upload enabled if you want the remaining selected sources to continue uploading.
Microsoft’s iOS guidance says only one account can receive camera-roll uploads at a time. If you have more than one OneDrive account in the app, verify that the setting you changed is for the account receiving the screenshots. The exact labels may shift as the app changes; if Organize by source is not visible, look in Camera Upload settings for the folder or source selection control described by Microsoft Support in “Seeing pictures that are not my photos in OneDrive.”
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Turn off all iPhone or iPad camera uploads
In OneDrive, open Settings > Camera Upload and switch Camera Upload off for the intended account. This is broader than unchecking Screenshots: it stops future camera-roll uploads from all selected sources for that account.
Stop screenshot uploads on Android
- Open OneDrive and tap the account image.
- Go to Settings > Camera backup > Back up device folders.
- Deselect Screenshots. Review the other selected folders if you want to exclude additional sources.
- Keep Camera backup on if you want the other selected folders to continue backing up.
Microsoft’s Android instructions describe selecting additional image folders, including folders used by social media and third-party editing apps. If screenshots continue to appear, re-open Back up device folders and confirm Screenshots is deselected for the account that is backing them up.
Turn off all Android camera backup
Turn off Camera backup in OneDrive settings for the correct account. Check the account image first: changing the setting for a different personal or work/school account will not address uploads going to the other account.
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What to do on a Windows PC
First locate the screenshot file in File Explorer and note its actual save folder. If that folder is one OneDrive syncs, OneDrive can upload the file as part of desktop folder sync. That is separate from the phone’s Camera Upload or Camera backup setting.
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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →The Microsoft guidance available for this task does not establish a current dedicated Windows switch specifically for screenshot uploads. Do not assume a mobile Screenshots-folder setting exists on Windows. Instead, use OneDrive’s folder and sync controls carefully for the folder containing the screenshot, or change where screenshots are saved so they are not placed in a synced location. Microsoft’s “How to access OneDrive settings” and “How to cancel or stop sync in OneDrive” explain broader settings and sync controls, but unlinking the PC stops syncing more than screenshots and is a disproportionate first step if that is your only concern.
- Pause sync: a temporary suspension, not a permanent exclusion. Syncing can resume later.
- Stop syncing a selected folder: consider this only after identifying which folder is involved and what other files depend on its sync.
- Unlink the device: a broad option that stops syncing for the computer; reserve it for when you intend to disconnect the computer from OneDrive, not as the first screenshot-only fix.
Stopping future uploads is not the same as removing cloud copies
OneDrive mobile camera backup is a one-way upload, not two-way synchronization. Microsoft Support’s Android and iOS camera-backup guidance says the phone camera roll uploads to OneDrive rather than syncing in both directions. Consequently, switching off camera uploads or excluding Screenshots prevents future automatic uploads; it does not delete screenshots already in OneDrive. Likewise, deleting a local screenshot after it has been uploaded does not, by itself, remove the cloud copy.
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If you also want to remove previously uploaded screenshots, find and delete those files in OneDrive separately. Before deleting, check that you have the correct account and that you are removing the intended cloud copies, rather than only changing the phone’s backup setting.
Check whether the change worked
- Confirm the intended OneDrive account is selected in the app.
- Revisit the platform’s folder/source selection and check that Screenshots is excluded, or verify that all camera uploads are off if that was your choice.
- Take or save a new test screenshot and allow the app an opportunity to process uploads.
- Check the corresponding OneDrive account for that new file. If it still appears, identify whether another selected account, another device, or Windows folder sync is uploading it.
A screenshot that was already uploaded before you changed the setting may remain visible. Use a newly created screenshot to test the future-upload setting, and manage existing OneDrive files separately.
Troubleshooting
The Screenshots folder is not listed
On iPhone or iPad, inspect Camera Upload’s Organize by source control; on Android, inspect Back up device folders. The controls and available folder list can differ by app version and device. If the precise label is missing, look for the folder/source selection under the relevant camera setting rather than assuming the whole feature is unavailable.
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Screenshots still appear after I unchecked the folder
Check whether the file is new or was uploaded earlier. Then verify the selected account and whether another device or computer is putting the file into OneDrive. On Windows, inspect the screenshot’s save location: a file stored in a OneDrive-synced folder can be uploaded through desktop sync regardless of the phone’s camera-folder choice.
I switched off backup, but the cloud files are still there
The switch controls future automatic uploads, not cleanup of existing OneDrive files. Delete the cloud copies separately if that is what you intend, and confirm you are working in the right account.
I cannot tell which account is receiving uploads
Use the account image or profile area in OneDrive to identify the active account before changing Camera backup or Camera Upload. This matters when personal and work/school accounts are both present; Microsoft’s mobile backup guidance ties the setting to the selected account.
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Sync is paused, but screenshots upload again later
Pausing sync is temporary. If Windows is uploading screenshots from a synced folder, adjust the relevant folder-sync arrangement or save location instead of treating a pause as a permanent exclusion. Avoid unlinking the PC unless stopping all sync on that computer is acceptable.
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