How to Upload a Photo to the Internet: 8 Simple Ways

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Share pictures online from your computer, phone, or tablet
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Did you take an awesome picture and need to upload and share it online? Sites that serve as image hosting sites include Flickr and Imgur, but you can also use social media services like Facebook and Instagram, as well as cloud storage services like Google Drive and iCloud.

How to Upload a Picture

  • Use an image-hosting site like Flickr or Imgur to host large batches of photos. Make an account first, then upload your images.
  • Upload photos to your social media accounts like Facebook or Instagram to share them easily with friends, family, and online connections.
  • You can also store your images on file-sharing platforms like Google Drive or Apple iCloud to send download links and organize your files easily.
Method 1
Method 1 of 8:

Using Flickr

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  1. Tap the Flickr app icon to open the app (mobile), or go to https://www.flickr.com/ in your browser (desktop).
    • If you aren't signed into Flickr, you'll also have to select the Log In option and enter your Flickr email address and password.
    • If you don't have an account, you'll need to click or tap Sign Up and follow the prompts to create an account using your email address and a password. You'll need to verify your email during the setup process.
  2. Use one of the following steps to do so: [1]
    • On a desktop, you'll click the upward-facing arrow in the upper-right side of the page and then click Choose photos and videos to upload .
    • On mobile, tap the icon that resembles a person at the top of the screen in the center, then tap Upload now . The first time you do this, you will need to grant the app permission to access your photos. Alternatively, on mobile, you can tap the camera icon to take a picture with your camera.
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  3. Click or tap the photo that you want to upload to Flickr. [2]
    • If your picture is on your camera, first transfer them . You can use a USB cable to access your camera's internal storage on your PC, or you can email them from the camera to yourself so you can use your phone to upload them instead.
    • If you want to upload multiple photos at once on a desktop, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) while clicking each photo you want to upload.
    • To upload multiple photos on mobile, tap each photo you want to upload.
  4. Click Open (desktop) or tap Next twice (mobile).
  5. Click Upload 1 Photo (or Upload # Photos ) in the upper-right side of the page and then click Upload when prompted (desktop). On Mobile, tap the photo you want to upload and then tap Allow in the lower-right corner. Your selected photo(s) will be uploaded to Flickr. [3]
    • Once your photo has been uploaded, you can click or tap it to view it. Then click or tap the share icon, which resembles a curved arrow in the lower-right corner. Copy the link to share with others, or click or tap one of the share options to share it on a platform.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 8:

Using Imgur

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  1. Tap the Imgur app icon (mobile), or go to https://www.imgur.com/ in your browser (desktop).
    • You don't have to sign in, but it'll help you keep track of your photos. If you aren't signed into Imgur, select the sign in option and enter your Imgur email address and password. On mobile, you'll have to tap your profile icon and then tap Sign in or Sign up .
  2. To do so on desktop, click New Post at the top of the screen. On mobile, tap the icon that resembles a tray with an arrow pointing up at the bottom of the screen.
  3. On a desktop, drag and drop the image you want to upload into the box that says "Drag images here." Alternatively, you can click Choose photo/video and click the image you want to upload. Then click Open . On mobile, tap the photos you want to upload and then tap Next in the upper-right corner.
    • On mobile, you may need to tap Allow access to photos or something similar at the bottom of the screen before you can select a photo.
    • Alternatively, on mobile, you can tap Take photo or Take video to take a picture or video with your camera.
  4. You can add a title to your image. To do so, click or tap where it says "Give your post a unique title" at the top and enter a name for the photo.
  5. Click To community below "Post" on a desktop to post the image. On mobile, tap Post in the upper-right side of the page or screen. Your image will be uploaded to Imgur.
    EXPERT TIP

    Luigi Oppido

    Computer & Tech Specialist
    Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years.
    Luigi Oppido
    Computer & Tech Specialist

    Close background apps to speed up your uploads. If your photos take a long time to upload, make sure no background software is running, and that you're not doing anything else on the machine while uploading. Uploads may also be faster late at night or early in the morning before people are getting online.

  6. To do so on a desktop, click Grab link and then copy the URL to share it, or tap one of the Share options. On mobile, tap the person icon in the lower-right corner and tap an image you want to share. Tap Copy URL to copy the link or tap one of the other Share options.
    • If you don't see the pictures you uploaded on mobile, they may be hidden. Tap where it says Public in the upper-left corner and then tap Hidden or All .
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Method 3
Method 3 of 8:

Using Facebook

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  1. Open the Facebook app, or log in to https://facebook.com on your computer. Once you're signed in, look for the box that says, "What's on your mind?."
  2. Click Photo/Video below the status box on a desktop. Then click Add photo or video . Alternatively, you can drag and drop the images you want to upload into the box. On mobile, tap the green stack of photos next to the status box. [4]
  3. Click or tap the photo that you want to upload to Facebook. [5]
    • If you want to upload multiple photos at once on a desktop, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) while clicking each photo you want to upload.
    • To upload multiple photos at once on mobile, tap each photo that you want to upload.
  4. To do so, click the box that says "What's on your mind?" on a desktop or "Say something about this photo" on mobile. Then tap Next in the upper-right corner (mobile only).
  5. Click or tap Post in the status window to upload your photo(s) to Facebook.
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Method 4
Method 4 of 8:

Using Instagram

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  1. On a computer, this plus sign is in the menu on the left side of the Instagram page with "Create." On the mobile app, the plus sign is in the top right corner of your screen. [6]
    • On a computer, a window will open for you to drag and drop photos or videos to, or you can click Select from computer to choose a picture in your file manager (File Explorer for Windows, Finder for Mac).
    • On the mobile app, the gallery of all the pictures on your phone or tablet will open.
    • If your picture is on your camera, first transfer them . You can use a USB cable to access your camera's internal storage on your PC, or you can email them from the camera to yourself so you can use your phone to upload them instead.
  2. Click or tap the photo that you want to upload. If you are on a desktop computer, click Open after selecting your photo(s). [7]
    • If you want to select multiple photos on a computer, hold Ctrl on Windows or Command on Mac and click the photos you want to upload.
  3. It's in the upper-right corner of the post.
  4. Tap the filter or make adjustments that you want to apply to your photo.
    • You can skip this step if you like.
  5. Click or tap the photo that you want to upload.
  6. It's in the upper-right corner of the post.
  7. Click or tap the text box at the top of the screen, then type in the caption that you want to use for your photo. [8]
  8. The checkmark and Share are in the top-right corner of the screen. [9] This will post your photo to your Instagram page.
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Method 5
Method 5 of 8:

Using Google Photos

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  1. To do so on a phone or tablet, tap the Google Photos icon, which resembles a blue, red, green, and yellow pinwheel. On a desktop computer, go to https://photos.google.com/ in a web browser.
    • If you are not signed in to Google Photos automatically, click or tap SIGN IN and sign in with your Google account.
    • If you have backup and sync turned on in the Google Photos app, all the photos on your mobile device will be uploaded to Google Photos automatically. To turn on Backup & Sync, tap your profile icon, followed by Phone Settings > Backup and then tap the toggle switch to turn on Backup and Sync.
  2. It's in the upper-right corner of the screen. This displays a drop-down menu.
  3. If you are using a desktop computer, click Import Photos . If you are using a mobile device, click Import Photos from Other Places .
  4. If you are using a desktop computer, click the photo(s) you want to upload and click Open . Your photos will be instantly uploaded.
    • To select multiple photos, hold Ctrl on a Windows computer or Command on a Mac and click the photos you want to upload.
  5. If you are using a mobile device, your photos are probably uploaded automatically. However, you can select another location to upload photos from.
    • You can select Facebook or iCloud to upload your Facebook or iCloud photos to Google Drive.
    • You can select a photography service, such as Pixieset, Pic-Time, or Image.Canon.
    • You can select a digitized physical photo service like Photomyne, Capture, or CVS. #*You can also select PhotoScan to scan physical photos with your phone.
  6. If you are uploading photos from another location on a mobile phone, you will be redirected to a website or an app. Log in to the app if you aren't already logged in. Then, follow the prompts to select the photos you want to upload. The interface will look different depending on what service you are using.
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Method 6
Method 6 of 8:

Using Google Drive

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  1. Tap the Google Drive app icon (mobile) or go to https://drive.google.com/ in your browser (desktop).
    • If you aren't signed into your Drive account, click SIGN IN and enter your email address and password.
  2. On the mobile app, it's in the lower-right corner. On a desktop computer, it's at the top of the menu bar to the left. [10]
  3. If you are using a desktop computer, click File Upload at the top of the menu on the left. If you are using the mobile app, tap Upload at the bottom of the screen. It has an icon that resembles an arrow over a tray pointing up. [11]
    • On mobile, first tap the photo location (e.g., Camera Roll ) that you want to open.
    • If you want to upload multiple photos at once on a desktop computer, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) while clicking each photo you want to upload.
    • To upload multiple photos at once on mobile, tap each photo that you want to upload (tap and hold photos on Android).
  4. Click Open (desktop) or tap UPLOAD (mobile) to upload your photo(s) to Google Drive.
    • On Android, tapping the image will upload it to Google Drive.
    • To share an image, click the icon with three dots â‹® in the upper-right corner of the image thumbnail. The click Share . Click Copy Link to copy the link and share it with other people.
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Method 7
Method 7 of 8:

Using iCloud Photos

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  1. Go to https://www.icloud.com/ in your browser. You cannot upload files to iCloud from the iPhone or iPad app.
    • If you aren't signed into iCloud automatically, click Sign In and enter your Apple ID email address and password, and click → before proceeding.
    • If you have iCloud enabled on your iPhone or iPad, your photos and videos will be saved to iCloud automatically. [12]
    • If you are a Mac user, you can enable iCloud in the Photos app to save your photos to iCloud automatically. [13]
  2. It has an icon that resembles a colorful pinwheel. You can click the Photos icon in the app box at the bottom of the screen, or you can find it in the Quick Access menu by clicking the icon with twelve squares at the top.
  3. This cloud-shaped icon with an upward-facing arrow. It is near the top of the window.
  4. Click a photo that you want to upload.
    • If you want to upload multiple photos at once, hold down the Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) key while clicking each photo that you want to upload.
  5. It's in the bottom-right corner of the window. Doing so will immediately prompt the photo to upload to your iCloud Drive folder.
    • To share an image, click the icon with three dots â‹® in the upper-right corner of the image thumbnail. The click Share . Click Copy Link to copy the link and share it with other people.
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Method 8
Method 8 of 8:

Using Other Websites and Apps

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  1. In order to upload an image to the Internet, you must first open a website or an app that supports photo uploads. Image-hosting sites, social media, and cloud storage sites will all support this function.
    • If you have to be signed into an account to post, make sure that you're signed in before continuing.
    • If you've never used the service, you might have to make an account before continuing.
    • This method works if you're using a computer, phone, or tablet on almost every image-hosting website, including Tumblr, LinkedIn, Twitter, Jumpshare, Wix, 500px, ImgBox, and Amazon Prime Photos.
  2. This will vary greatly from place to place, but most sites/apps will allow you to upload from the main page. On storage and image hosting websites, you may need to find the "Upload" button or a plus sign ( + ). On social media and blog websites, you may need to find the button to start a new post.
    • If your picture is on your camera, first transfer them . You can use a USB cable to access your camera's internal storage on your PC, or you can email them from the camera to yourself so you can use your phone to upload them instead.
  3. The upload button may say "Upload," "Post," "Upload photo," or "Select Images." It may also be an icon resembling an arrow pointing up, a circle with a plus sign ( + ), or an icon resembling a photo stack.
    • For example, on Twitter/X and most cloud services websites, you would tap the icon that resembles a plus sign in the lower-right corner.
  4. On a computer, this will usually entail clicking the Pictures or Photos section of the window that appears, clicking the photo that you want to upload, and clicking Open .
    • On most phones and tablets, tapping the "Upload Photo" option will open your camera roll directly. You can then tap a photo and then tap Upload (or something similar).
  5. Select the "Post" or "Done" option. In some cases, this will say Upload , while other sites/apps may have an upward-facing arrow on the page.
    • Many sites and apps will also give you the option of editing your photo or adding a caption to it before uploading.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    How do you paste a photo into Google?
    Community Answer
    Do you Google photos/drive or image search? For Photos: Click upload and choose your files or drag your photos onto the page. For Search: Go to Google images and drag your photo onto the page and release -- Google will then search your photo.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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    Not Helpful 7 Helpful 18
  • Question
    How do I choose the photos to upload?
    Community Answer
    Select only the best, the ones that you know will spark interest from other people. Be picky and honest about which images are your very best ones.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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    Not Helpful 7 Helpful 15
  • Question
    How do I find my photos on the internet after posting them on Google Drive?
    Community Answer
    You can find them by looking up something related to the photo. For example, if you up loaded a cat, look up cat (black, furry, small, for detail).
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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      Warnings

      • Most file-hosting websites have an upload limit. For example, while Flickr allows for one terabyte (1024 gigabytes) of upload space, Google Drive only allows for 25 gigabytes.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.flickrhelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/4404079632660-Upload-Photos-and-Videos-to-Flickr
      2. ↑ https://www.flickrhelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/4404079632660-Upload-Photos-and-Videos-to-Flickr
      3. ↑ https://www.flickrhelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/4404079632660-Upload-Photos-and-Videos-to-Flickr
      4. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/help/174641285926169
      5. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/help/174641285926169
      6. ↑ https://help.instagram.com/442418472487929?helpref=faq_content
      7. ↑ https://help.instagram.com/442418472487929?helpref=faq_content
      8. ↑ https://help.instagram.com/442418472487929?helpref=faq_content
      9. ↑ https://help.instagram.com/442418472487929?helpref=faq_content
      1. ↑ https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2424368?hl=en
      2. ↑ https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2424368?hl=en
      3. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/108782
      4. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/icloud/upload-and-download-photos-mmb5dbaf376f/icloud
      5. ↑ https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/175288?hl=en

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