OneDrive File Issues

How to Stop OneDrive from Renaming iPhone Photos with Timestamps

Maira Mehtab Sep 28, 2026 869 views

Question details

Users want to prevent OneDrive from automatically renaming iPhone photos and videos with timestamps during Camera Upload, as it disrupts their automated sorting and file organization workflows.

How to Stop OneDrive from Renaming iPhone Photos with Timestamps

Product: Microsoft OneDrive
Device & OS: iOS / iPhone
Scenario: Backing up or automatically uploading photos and videos from an iPhone to Microsoft OneDrive.
Observed behavior: The OneDrive Camera Upload feature overrides the original iPhone file names (e.g., IMG_1234.HEIC) and replaces them with a timestamp format, with no built-in setting to disable this behavior.

Before you start

Verify that your iPhone and OneDrive app are updated to their latest versions. Note that Microsoft does not currently provide a native toggle to disable timestamp renaming for automatic Camera Uploads.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Manual Upload via the OneDrive App

Bypass the automatic Camera Upload feature and manually upload files from your iPhone to preserve their original names.

Since the automatic Camera Upload feature forces the timestamp format, manually selecting and uploading your photos ensures that the original iOS file names (such as IMG_1234.JPG) remain completely intact.

Disable Camera Upload

Open the OneDrive app on your iPhone, tap your profile icon, go to Settings, select 'Camera Upload', and toggle it off.

Initiate Manual Upload

Navigate to the OneDrive folder where you want to store your photos, tap the '+' (Add) icon in the top right corner, and select 'Upload'.

Select Photos

Tap 'Photos and Videos', select the items you wish to upload from your iPhone camera roll, and confirm the upload to retain original metadata and filenames.

Metadata Preservation: Manual uploads not only preserve file names but also help ensure EXIF data and original capture dates are accurately retained.

Solution 2

Transfer Photos via a Desktop Cable Connection

Transfer your photos directly to a computer using a USB cable before moving them into your OneDrive folder.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why did OneDrive suddenly start renaming my iPhone photos?

Microsoft updated the Camera Upload feature to use timestamps in order to prevent file name collisions across multiple devices and to make chronological sorting easier natively within OneDrive. However, they did not include an option to revert to the old naming convention.

Can I configure the timestamp format OneDrive uses?

No, OneDrive does not currently provide any settings in the iOS app or web interface to customize the timestamp format for automatic Camera Uploads.

Will third-party automation tools fix the renamed files in OneDrive?

You can use desktop scripting tools or third-party file renamers on your computer to batch rename files back to a specific sequence after they sync, but this adds extra steps to your workflow and cannot be done natively inside the mobile app.

Document & File Issues