How to Upload Photos & Videos to Snapchat

This guide shows you how to take photos and videos that are already saved on your phone or computer and share them as a Snap or add them to your Story. It covers the main ways to do this in the Snapchat app, including using Memories and the camera roll, plus how to send them to friends.

What You’ll Need

The Snapchat app installed and logged in on your phone or tablet.
The photo or video saved on that device (in your camera roll, gallery, or Files app).
An internet connection (Wi-Fi or mobile data) to upload and send.

Step-by-Step

Open Snapchat and go to the camera screen. This is the main screen you see when you open the app.
Swipe up from the bottom of the camera screen (or tap the small circular icon with your profile picture/bitmoji just below the shutter button). This opens your Memories section.
Tap the “Camera Roll” tab at the top of the Memories screen. You’ll see two tabs: “Memories” (Snaps you’ve saved) and “Camera Roll” (everything stored on your device). If you don’t see the tab, make sure you’ve allowed Snapchat access to your photos in your device settings.
Browse and tap the photo or video you want to upload. It will open in a preview screen. If you want to select multiple items, tap and hold the first one, then tap the others to add checkmarks.
Tap the blue “Send To” button at the bottom right. If you selected multiple items, tap “Send” first, then “Send To”.
Choose where to send it. You’ll see a list of your friends at the top and options like “My Story” or “Snap Map” below. Tap the circle next to each friend you want to send it to, or tap “My Story” to post it publicly to your followers.
Tap the blue “Send” button at the bottom right. Your photo or video will upload and be delivered to the selected recipients or Story.

Alternative Method: Using the Preview Screen

Open Snapchat and tap the circle icon (your profile picture) in the top-left corner to go to your Profile.
Tap the “+” icon next to “My Story” or tap “New Story”.
Tap “Add Photos and Videos” and select the items from your camera roll.
Tap “Add” and then choose who can see the Story before posting it.

Uploading from a Computer (Windows or Mac)

Snapchat is primarily a mobile app, but you can upload files from a computer using the web version at web.snapchat.com. Log in, then click on your profile icon and select “Memories.” From there, you can drag and drop photos or videos into the Memories section. Once uploaded, they appear in the Memories tab on your phone, and you can send them using the steps above.

Common Mistakes

Not granting photo access: If you can’t see your camera roll in Memories, you likely denied photo access when you first installed the app. Go to your phone’s Settings > Privacy > Photos, find Snapchat, and change it to “All Photos”.
Sending to the wrong place: Tapping “My Story” sends it publicly to all your friends. If you only want one person to see it, make sure you only select that person’s name and uncheck any Story options.
Uploading a video that’s too long: Standard Snaps sent to friends are limited to 60 seconds. If your video is longer, Snapchat will ask if you want to trim it or split it into multiple parts.
Forgetting that screenshots are notified: If you send a photo from your camera roll, the recipient can still screenshot it, and you’ll be notified. This is the same as with regular Snaps.

Tips

Edit before sending: Once your photo or video is in the preview screen, you can add text, stickers, filters, drawings, or music just like a normal Snap. Do this before hitting “Send To”.
Use “Memories” for quick access: When you save a Snap to Memories, it’s stored in the app and doesn’t take up space on your phone. You can also edit and re-share old Snaps from there.
Save to camera roll automatically: In Snapchat Settings > Memories, you can turn on “Save to Camera Roll” so every Snap you take is also stored on your device. This is handy if you want to reuse them later.
Check the video format: Snapchat works best with MP4 videos. If your video is in a different format (like AVI or MKV), it might not upload properly. Convert it to MP4 first if you run into issues.
Upload in good lighting: While this doesn’t affect the upload itself, photos taken in low light often look grainy when compressed by Snapchat. For best quality, use well-lit photos.

Troubleshooting

Upload stuck at “Sending…” or “Loading”: This is usually a network issue. Check your Wi-Fi or mobile data connection. Try switching between Wi-Fi and cellular data, or restarting the app. If it persists, close Snapchat completely and reopen it.
“Couldn’t Upload” error: This often means the file is too large or in an unsupported format. Try trimming the video to under 60 seconds, or converting the file to MP4. Also, make sure you have enough free storage space on your phone.
Photos appear blurry or low quality: Snapchat compresses images to save data. This is normal. To get slightly better quality, go to Settings > Memories and toggle on “Save in Original Quality” (this uses more storage).
Can’t see the Camera Roll tab: This is almost always a permissions issue. Go to your phone’s Settings, find Snapchat, and ensure “Photos” access is set to “All Photos” (on iPhone) or “Allow all the time” (on Android).
Video has no sound after uploading: Check that the video file itself has sound when played outside Snapchat. If it does, try closing other apps that might be using the microphone, then restart Snapchat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I upload a photo from my camera roll and send it as a normal Snap?

Yes. Follow the steps above to select the photo from Camera Roll, then send it to friends just like a regular Snap. It will appear as a normal Snap, and recipients can view it once.

How long can a video from my camera roll be?

For Snaps sent directly to friends, the limit is 60 seconds. For your Story, you can upload videos up to 60 seconds as well, but they will be split into multiple parts if longer. There is no limit on the number of videos you can add to a Story.

Will my friends know it’s from my camera roll and not a new photo?

No. Once sent, it looks exactly like any other Snap. There is no visible indicator that it was uploaded from your camera roll rather than taken live.

Can I upload photos from my camera roll to a private story?

Yes. When you tap “Send To,” you’ll see your custom private stories listed. Select the one you want, and the photo or video will be added to that story, visible only to the people you’ve added to it.

What happens if I delete the photo from my phone after uploading it to Memories?

If you uploaded it to Memories (not just sent it), it is stored in Snapchat’s cloud and will remain there even if you delete it from your phone. You can access it anytime from the Memories tab.

Can I upload photos from my computer directly to a friend?

No. The web version of Snapchat only allows you to upload to Memories. To send it to a friend, you’ll need to open the Snapchat app on your phone, go to Memories, and send it from there.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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