- Amazon Photos is one of the benefits included with Amazon Prime membership.
- Amazon Photos offers unlimited storage of all your photos, and up to 5GB of video storage.
- Access your Amazon Photos from the web, mobile app, or Amazon devices like Fire TV and Echo Show.
If you subscribe to Amazon Prime, you also automatically get Amazon Photos, which includes unlimited online storage for all your photos. It’s one of many benefits that comes with Prime membership and often overlooked amid free or expedited shipping and various discounts.
Amazon Photos is a secure and easy way to ensure your photos and videos are safe, shareable, and accessible from anywhere. Here’s what you need to know about Amazon Photos.
What is Amazon Photos?
Amazon Photos is a secure online storage option for your photos and videos. Your Prime membership includes unlimited photo storage at full, original resolution and image quality. You also get 5 GB of video storage, though you can upgrade your video storage if you need additional space — you can buy 100GB (about 14 hours of video) for $1.99 a month, 1 TB (about 140 hours of video) for $6.99 a month, or 2TB (280 hours or so of video) for $11.99 a month.
You can manually upload photos and videos to Amazon Photos or let it automatically sync your camera roll from your phone on its own. From there, you can view your photos and videos on the Amazon Photos mobile app, on the web, or an Amazon device like a Fire TV, Echo Show, or Fire tablet.
The good news is that there’s not much to do; you get an Amazon Photos account automatically when you sign up for Amazon Prime. To access it, go to the Amazon Photos website and sign in with your Amazon account credentials.
How do I see the photos and videos stored on Amazon Photos?
You can view the photos and videos you store in Amazon Photos using the Amazon Photos website or in the Amazon Photos mobile app for your iPhone, Android device, or Fire tablet.
Dave Johnson
If you have an Echo Show smart display, you can also start the Settings app and then tap Clock & Photo Display. There, you can choose to display your Amazon Photos collection on the screen when the device is idle.
On your Fire Tablet, you can select a photo from Amazon Photos as your device’s wallpaper. Start the Settings app and then tap Display. Select Wallpaper, then Photos. Finally, choose the image you want to display.
How do I sync photos from my phone to Amazon Photos?
Because you can store unlimited photos on Amazon Photos, it makes sense to automatically sync your camera’s photos to your Amazon Photos account.
Start by installing the Amazon Photos app on your iPhone or Android device, if you haven’t already, and sign in with your Amazon account credentials.
On the main screen, make sure Auto Save is enabled by swiping the button to the right, and then tap Next.
If you opt not to enable automatic photo backups to Amazon Photos now, you’ll need to manually upload some photos before you can start to use the app.
You can turn on Auto Save at any time by tapping the Amazon icon at the top left, then the Settings icon at the top right, and then, in the Account settings section, tap Upload settings. Now enable Save photos and Save videos.
Dave Johnson
How do I upload photos from my computer to Amazon Photos?
Open Amazon Photos in a web browser.
At the top of the window, click Add and then, in the drop-down menu, choose what you want to upload. You can manually choose specific photos, upload an entire photo folder from your PC, or create a new folder in Amazon Photos and then choose photos to add to it.
Dave Johnson
If you’d prefer to use the Amazon Photos desktop app, choose that option from the Add menu. The app will be downloaded to your computer. Install it and use the app instead.
How do I get more Amazon Photos storage?
You should never need additional storage for photos — Amazon gives you unlimited photo storage — but if you need more than 5GB of storage for video, you’ll need to upgrade. To do that, start the Amazon Photos mobile app and tap the Amazon icon at the top left. Tap Video storage and choose the storage plan you need. You can buy 100GB (about 14 hours of video) for $1.99 a month, 1 TB (about 140 hours of video) for $6.99 a month, or 2TB (280 hours or so of video) for $11.99 a month.
Dave Johnson
Are my Amazon Photos in Amazon Drive?
Yes, there are two ways to get to your photos — by using Amazon Photos or via Amazon Drive. Amazon Drive is a cloud storage app that lets you store files, photos, and videos online, and then access them from anywhere.
To see your Amazon Photos in Amazon Drive, open it in a browser and go to All Files and then choose Pictures.
There’s an important caveat: Amazon is discontinuing Amazon Drive as of December 31, 2023. After that date, Amazon Drive will no longer be available to upload new photos, but all of your photos and videos will automatically be available in Amazon Photos.
What is the difference between Amazon Drive and Photos?
They are both cloud storage services but have different features because they’re focused on different kinds of files. Amazon Photos is a secure cloud storage service for photos and videos, while Amazon Drive supports a wide variety of file formats including PDF, Microsoft Word, ZIP, JPEG, PNG, and MP4.
More importantly, Amazon is discontinuing Amazon Drive, while Amazon Photos will continue to be available to upload, download, back up, view, and share photos and videos. In fact, Amazon is not ending photo storage or changing any of the photo and video storage features and benefits for Amazon Prime members.
Amazon has said that it is discontinuing Amazon Drive to focus its resources on Amazon Photos more fully. In other words, if you’re an Amazon Photos user, nothing substantial is changing for your photo storage experience. However, Amazon may upgrade and improve the Amazon Photos app in the future.
Any photos and videos stored in Amazon Drive will be automatically available in Amazon Photos after Drive is shut down. None of your images will be lost in the process.
