Uploading Photos Stored in iCloud, OneDrive, or Dropbox

If your upload fails with a message about empty files, it usually means the photos live in a cloud storage service and haven't been downloaded to your device yet. Your operating system shows a placeholder for the file, but the actual bytes are still in the cloud — so when your browser tries to read the file, there's nothing there.

Here's how to make sure your photos are downloaded before uploading.

macOS — iCloud Photos

If your photos are in the Photos app and you have "Optimize Mac Storage" turned on, the full-resolution originals may only exist in iCloud.

Option A — download individual photos

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Select the photos you want to upload.
3. Go to File → Export → Export Unmodified Original (or press ⌥⇧⌘E).
4. Save them to a folder on your Mac.
5. Upload from that folder.

Option B — download everything

1. Open Photos → Settings → iCloud.
2. Choose Download Originals to this Mac instead of "Optimize Mac Storage".
3. Wait for the download to finish (this can take a while depending on your library size), then upload as usual.

macOS — iCloud Drive

Files stored in iCloud Drive may show a cloud icon (☁) in Finder if they aren't downloaded locally.

1. Open Finder and navigate to the file.
2. Right-click (or Control-click) the file.
3. Choose Download Now.
4. Wait until the cloud icon disappears, then upload.

To download a whole folder, right-click the folder itself and choose Download Now.

Windows — OneDrive

OneDrive's "Files On-Demand" feature keeps files in the cloud until you open them. A cloud icon next to the file name means it isn't fully downloaded.

1. Open File Explorer and go to the OneDrive folder.
2. Right-click the file (or folder).
3. Choose Always keep on this device.
4. Wait until the icon changes to a solid green checkmark.
5. Upload from there.

Dropbox

If you use Dropbox with Smart Sync or Online-only files, you'll see a cloud icon next to the file name.

1. Open your Dropbox folder in Finder (macOS) or File Explorer (Windows).
2. Right-click the file or folder.
3. Choose Smart Sync → Local (or Make available offline).
4. Wait for the download to finish, then upload.

iOS and iPadOS

If you're uploading from an iPhone or iPad and hit this issue, the photo probably isn't fully downloaded from iCloud Photos.

1. Open the Photos app and tap the photo.
2. Wait a few seconds — the app will start downloading the original in the background.
3. Once you see the full-quality image (no low-res warning at the bottom), go back to the event page and upload again.

For files in the Files app: tap the file to open it — this triggers the download. Once it opens, close it and try uploading.

How to confirm a file is downloaded

Before uploading, check:

• macOS Finder / Windows Explorer: no cloud icon next to the file name.
• Photos app: the photo opens at full resolution without a low-quality warning.
• File size: if you check the file's properties (right-click → Get Info / Properties), the size should be greater than 0 KB.

Still stuck?

If your files look downloaded but the upload still fails, please contact us with:

• The device and browser you're using
• The cloud service the photos came from
• A screenshot of the error message

We'll help sort it out.