DCIM folder structure

Hi Everyone,


With IOS 14.6, DCIM folder structure has changed and it has contained year and month like 2021__06, 2021_07 and it was very helpful to keep the photos in monthy folders. But with IOS 14.7, DCIM folder structure has been gone back to old structure, now folder names are like 118APPLE, 119APPLE. Is it possible to change folder structure like YEAR__MONTH?

iPhone 11, iOS 14

Posted on Jul 22, 2021 12:44 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jul 22, 2021 5:09 PM

Apple did not design the folder structure for your convenience, they structured it for the most efficient management of the photo database in the phone, because they don’t expect users to ever even look at it. Instead they provide several easy ways to transfer photos from the phone to a computer or other services. These ways are described here→Transfer photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support.


By far the easiest way is to enable iCloud Photos: Go to Settings/[your name]/icloud - Photos ON. This will transfer the existing photos to your iCloud account, then going forward in real time as they are taken meaning that you will never lose a photo should disaster strike. Once in iCloud you have options:

  • Log in to https://icloud.com/photos, where you can view them or download them to your computer
  • Enable iCloud Photos in your Mac System Preferences, and they will automatically sync to the Photos app on your Mac
  • Install iCloud for Windows, where you can view your photos on your PC and optionally transfer them to local storage on your computer.


Enabling iCloud photos also offers the option of saving smaller, lower resolution images on your phone to save space while still preserving the full resolution photos in iCloud. Just go to Settings/Photos - Optimize iPhone Storage to enable this feature.

10 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jul 22, 2021 5:09 PM in response to epto

Apple did not design the folder structure for your convenience, they structured it for the most efficient management of the photo database in the phone, because they don’t expect users to ever even look at it. Instead they provide several easy ways to transfer photos from the phone to a computer or other services. These ways are described here→Transfer photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support.


By far the easiest way is to enable iCloud Photos: Go to Settings/[your name]/icloud - Photos ON. This will transfer the existing photos to your iCloud account, then going forward in real time as they are taken meaning that you will never lose a photo should disaster strike. Once in iCloud you have options:

  • Log in to https://icloud.com/photos, where you can view them or download them to your computer
  • Enable iCloud Photos in your Mac System Preferences, and they will automatically sync to the Photos app on your Mac
  • Install iCloud for Windows, where you can view your photos on your PC and optionally transfer them to local storage on your computer.


Enabling iCloud photos also offers the option of saving smaller, lower resolution images on your phone to save space while still preserving the full resolution photos in iCloud. Just go to Settings/Photos - Optimize iPhone Storage to enable this feature.

Oct 5, 2021 1:10 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

There is literally nothing easier than accessing the folder directly. Anything other than that makes things more complicated. I really hate the iPhone file structure. I shouldn't have to upload something to iCloud and then download it to my phone when I could simply plug a cable into my computer and transfer the file to the directory I want. I want to transfer a photo from my computer to my iphones DCIM folder by connecting a USB cable. But of course I can't do something that simple and easy with an iphone. I really don't care for the way Apple locks up the iphone and makes people do things their way. Blah Blah Blah security, Blah Blah Blah easier. Nonsese.

Nov 1, 2021 12:16 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

You may have your process perfected, but for others its very unintuitive. For example what I had to do:

  1. go to iCloud and select the photos I want (is this even an option if you don't pay for iCloud storage?)
  2. download the photos
  3. go to the downloads folder
  4. unzip the folder
  5. select the photos again and finally copy them to my desired location


VS


  1. plug in phone
  2. easily find the photo IF folders are sorted by year_month
  3. copy and paste into desired location

Nov 1, 2021 12:35 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

I have to upload them to the company server in different locations based on which client I was working with. And I would say it is safe to assume most people are familiar with the operation I listed by downloading the photos vs using the procedure you stated. Which I just tried and I see no File/Export on the iCloud site, so I assume that would require me to download another app which is annoying since I have to get IT approval to download programs on my computer.


OR I COULD JUST CONNECT MY PHONE AND DOWNLOAD IMAGES DIRECTLY (if the file structure was fixed)

Jul 23, 2021 2:39 AM in response to epto

Thanks for your replies and I see that they structured the folder for the most efficient management of the database but why did it change with ISO 14.6 as YEAR__MONTH and why did it change again? Did they try something, or was it a bug? And also I could not find any formal explanation about this change. So most probably it was a bug but at least a perfect bug for me:) Apple supposed to the best at everything and they have to make this more user friendly.

Nov 1, 2021 12:04 PM in response to JoeBobJones1

JoeBobJones1 wrote:

There is literally nothing easier than accessing the folder directly.

Utter nonsense. I use iCloud exclusively. Every photo I take appears on my computer, my iPad, and at iCloud.com seconds after I take it, with no intervention on my part. And, as I also have the Google Photos app and the Dropbox app they also are backed up to those sites seconds after being taken. There is no easier way to get photos off an iOS device, and no safer way, as I can’t possibly lose a single photo if my phone breaks, is stolen, or falls in a toilet.


That is LITERALLY much easier than connecting a cable, opening a file browser, find the files I want and manually downloading them. And has the advantage that if I can’t get to the computer for a while my photos are all safe.


Nov 1, 2021 12:27 PM in response to RavenGuard

No, I don’t download anything. The photos are just there on my computer, without any intervention. In the Photos app on a Mac, or iCloud for Windows on my computer. If I want them in separate folders (I can’t think of any good reason to do that), I just select them in the Photos app (or iCloud for Windows), chose File/Export, and specify the location where I want them.


I just spent a week hiking in Utah without a computer. I took several hundred photos. All of them were there on my computer when I got home, with no risk of losing them if I dropped my phone in a canyon or the river I was fording.

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DCIM folder structure

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