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File Upload Using the Web UI

The Upload dialog supports drag-and-drop: drop one or many files (or whole folders) onto the upload area, or click it to open the system file picker. Staged files are listed with their sizes, and the action button is disabled until at least one file has been added.

Keyboard Shortcut

You can quickly open the upload dialog by pressing Ctrl + U from anywhere in the application.

Uploads are automatically paused when free disk space falls below the configured threshold, to prevent the storage volume from filling up completely.

  1. Click in the upper right corner

  2. Click in the menu that appears

    Screenshot

  3. In case you want to upload the files directly to an album select one

  4. Drag files onto the upload area, or click it to open the file picker

    Screenshot

  5. Confirm the selection and click Upload

  1. Go to Library using the main navigation, and open the Import tab

  2. Click Upload

    Screenshot

  3. In case you want to upload the files directly to an album select one

  4. Drag files onto the upload area, or click it to open the file picker

    Screenshot

  5. Confirm the selection and click Upload

Preserve Original Format When Uploading on iOS

iOS may convert photos and videos to a more compatible format before they are uploaded via Safari or the PhotoPrism PWA, so PhotoPrism will receive and store the already converted files.

To preserve the original format:

  • In the iOS Photos picker, tap the three-dot menu (…) → Options → set Format to Current instead of Automatic so your files are uploaded in the original format.
  • Alternatively, use dedicated sync apps like PhotoSync, which can upload files in their original format via WebDAV.

Why GPS Location May Be Missing After Uploading from a Phone

Recent Android versions remove the embedded GPS coordinates from photos when they are read by an app that does not hold the system media location permission (ACCESS_MEDIA_LOCATION). Because web browsers cannot request this permission, pictures uploaded through the web UI on a phone may arrive without location data. iOS can behave similarly depending on the browser and its privacy settings.

This happens on the device, before the files reach PhotoPrism, so the coordinates cannot be recovered during indexing. To preserve the embedded location:

  • Upload the original files from a desktop browser, or
  • Use a dedicated sync app such as PhotoSync, which holds the required permission and transfers files unmodified via WebDAV.

You can check whether a file still contains GPS data with ExifTool (for example, exiftool -a -G1 photo.jpg).