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Getting started with BT Cloud

BT Cloud was only available to customers who took BT Broadband and registered for the Cloud service before 26 October 2022.

What does BT Cloud do?

It lets you automatically back up, organise and safely store files from your computer, mobile or tablet. Then you can access them online wherever you go. This includes:

  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Contacts
  • Documents

You can also share files straight from the cloud using email or social media.

Go to your system tray and click on the BT Cloud icon, then the cog icon and then About. 

If you are encountering any error messages or issues during installation, please call customer service for further assistance on 0800 800 150. 

Some helpful tips 

 

Backup: This keeps your content secure. You can back up and automate your content on to the cloud from any of your devices. That means as soon as the content is created on the device it's backed up.

Sync: This means that any changes you make to your content on a device are saved to the cloud, so your content is the same on all your devices.

You must have the following OS versions for BT Cloud to function correctly:

32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows 10 and above, not in S mode.

Processor: 1.6GHz or higher.

Memory: 2GB of RAM or higher.

Internet connection: High-speed internet access is recommended.

File systems: NTFS.

Hard Drive Space: Enough storage to store the backed-up content.

Browser: Microsoft edge (Windows).

BT Cloud on Mac OSX computers

  • The BT Cloud software is compatible with Windows 8.1 and above. If you use Linux or an older version of Windows then you won't be able to install the BT Cloud software. You can still access BT Cloud on the web at btcloud.bt.com >
  • Get the latest BT Cloud version for your PC >
  • Open the BT Cloud app, and log in using your BT ID
  • Once you’ve got BT Cloud installed, you'll be automatically prompted to download any updates

The latest BT Cloud software for Windows lets you do the following things:

  • Automatically upload and back up the folders you choose to BT Cloud: when you add something new to these folders, it's automatically backed up
  • Back up all content from a mobile device by putting it in the BT Cloud Sync folder
  • Access all backed up content from any device. BT Cloud makes it easy to download and back up content from one device and access it from another device

If you want to keep a file in sync across all your devices, save it in the BT Cloud Sync folder (you’ll find it in your Windows Explorer). Whenever you save a file in your BT Cloud Sync folder, it will automatically sync to all your other devices.

You can open the file on any device you've connected to BT Cloud, and any changes you make to the file will be saved on all your connected devices. If you delete a file in your BT Cloud Sync folder it will delete on all your devices. You’ll still be able to find it in the Deleted Items section of the BT Cloud website.

BT Cloud on Mac OSX computers

  • Automatically upload and back up the folders you choose to BT Cloud: when you add something new to these folders, it's automatically backed up
  • Back up all content from a mobile device by putting it in the BT Cloud Sync folder
  • Files that are securely backed up in BT Cloud will be marked in Finder, so it's easy to see what content is safe and securely backed up to BT Cloud
  • Access all backed up content from any device. BT Cloud makes it easy to download and back up content from one device and access it from another device

You can adjust your settings in the BT Cloud dashboard. Once BT Cloud is installed, you can access the dashboard by clicking the BT Cloud icon in the top system bar, then clicking Show Dashboard.

BT Cloud Dashboard

If you want to keep a file in sync across all your devices, save it in the BT Cloud Sync folder (you’ll find it in your Finder). Whenever you save a file in your BT Cloud Sync folder, it will automatically sync to all your other devices.

You can open the file on any device you have connected to BT Cloud, and any changes you make to the file will be saved on all your connected devices. If you delete a file in your BT Cloud Sync folder it will delete on all your devices. You’ll still be able to find it in the Deleted Items section of the BT Cloud website.

BT Cloud on iPads and iPhones

  • BT Cloud works on iPads and iPhones running iOS versions 15, 16 and 17.
  • You can download the latest version of the app by searching for "BT Cloud" in the app store. Or go to www.bt.com/cloud/download from your iOS device
  • Once you’ve got the BT Cloud iOS app installed then any updates will automatically show up in your app store. Depending on your settings, it might download and install automatically.

  • Automatically back up photos, videos and contacts to BT Cloud from your iPad and iPhone
  • Browse all the content you've stored in BT Cloud
  • Listen to music stored in BT Cloud through the BT Cloud music player. You can create playlists, and listen to your favourite songs
  • Other apps can access content saved in BT Cloud, and also save content to BT Cloud
  • You can restore the contents of another device (iOS, Android or Windows Phone) to your iPad or iPhone

On any BT Cloud screen three are two ways of navigating.

You can press the More icon to see more options that are relevant to the page you're on. This includes things like starting a backup, or creating a slideshow.

Getting started with the new BT Cloud

You can access the main menu at any time by pressing the Menu icon at the top left of the screen.

Getting started with the new BT Cloud

Within the Menu, you’ll see options such as: Photos, Music, Documents, Contacts, as well as the Settings cog.

1: Launch the BT Cloud app and open the Menu (it looks like three horizontal lines).

2: Tap the Settings cog.

3: Select What to Back up, this will display your backup options.

4: Toggle the switches On or Off to choose what you want to backup automatically.

5: To switch automatic backup on or off for 3G, go to How to Back up and tick Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi + Mobile Network. We recommend using the Wi-Fi only setting, as backing up your files over 3G or 4G will eat into your mobile data allowance.

You will find all your photos and videos in the Photos & Videos section of the BT Cloud app.

They’ll be shown as a grid, organised by the date they were taken. To view a photo in full screen, just tap it. When in full screen view, you can move through your photos by swiping left or right.

1: Go to More (it looks like three dots), then press Select and tap the photos you want to choose. You can organise your photos and videos into albums by pressing Add to Album.

2: Change views by tapping the More icon and press Sort & Filter. Your photos and videos can be arranged by the date of upload to BT Cloud, as well as the date they were taken. Remember to press Save.

3: To change how your albums are ordered, press Albums (bottom of screen), tap the More icon and select Sort option. Here you can choose how your albums are ordered. 

Once you've selected photos and videos, there are lots of things you can do with them. Press More (three dots) and you’ll see options such as: Download, Add to Album, Favourite, Create Slideshow, Share and Delete.

You can easily add your music library to BT Cloud from your PC or Mac, so you can listen to your songs using the BT Cloud app. View music by album, artist, track or playlist and change the view using the icons at the bottom of the screen.

If you have a very large music collection it will take some time for an index of your music library to download to your iOS device the first time you use it. This should only happen the first time you use it, so please be patient.

1: To play music from BT Cloud, open the Menu (three horizontal lines) and select Music.

2: Select the songs, album or playlist you'd like to listen to and then press the Play. You can see the music that's currently playing by tapping the Now Playing option at the bottom of the screen.

3: If you leave the BT Cloud app your music will continue playing. Controls what's playing while using a different app by swiping up from the bottom of your screen and using the Apple music controls.

You can browse all the content that's been added to BT Cloud from other computers or mobile devices using the BT Cloud app. To see this content, go to the All My Files section of the BT Cloud app. Here you'll see a folder for each of the computers you've connected to BT Cloud, as well as the main BT Cloud folder. Inside your BT Cloud folder will be a folder for all the mobile devices you have connected to BT Cloud.

You can click into any of the folders to browse all the content that's come from those devices.

 

BT Cloud on Android phones and tablets

  • BT Cloud works on Android smartphones and tablets running Android 12 and 13.
  • You can download the latest version of the app by searching for "BT Cloud" in the Google Play store.
  • Or go to www.bt.com/cloud/download from your Android device

  • Automatically back up photos, videos, music, documents, contacts, SMS messages and call logs to BT Cloud from your Android phone or tablet
  • Browse all the content you've stored in BT Cloud
  • Listen to music stored in BT Cloud through the BT Cloud music player. Create playlists, and listen to your favourite music.
  • Other apps can access content saved in BT Cloud, and save content to BT Cloud
  • You can restore the contents of another device (iOS, Android or Windows Phone) to your Android phone or tablet

On any BT Cloud screen you can press the More icon to see more options that are relevant to the page you're on. This includes things like connecting to a TV, deleting the content or starting a backup.

You can access the main menu at any time by pressing the Menu icon at the top left side of the screen.

From here, you can move between the main BT Cloud screens:

You can choose to back up photos, videos, music, documents, contacts, SMS messages and call logs from your Android device

If you select Auto Backup then the BT Cloud app will automatically back up content when you add it to your device. If you don't turn on auto backup then you'll need to remember to manually trigger a back up from the Home screen when you want to add new content to BT Cloud.

1: Launch the BT Cloud app and select the Menu icon (it looks like three horizontal lines) then the Settings cog.

 

2: Select What to Back Up and backup options will be displayed.

3: Tick or untick the content you want to back up.

4: To switch automatic backup on or off for 3G, go to How to Back up and tick Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi and Mobile Networks. We recommend using the Wi-Fi only setting, as backing up your files over 3G or 4G will eat into your mobile data allowance.

You can find all your photos and videos in the Photos & Videos section of the BT Cloud app.

The default view is to show all your photos and videos together, organised by the date they were taken. To view a photo in full screen, just tap it. When in full screen view, you can move through your photos by swiping left or right. 

1: You can use the More icon (three horizontal dots) to select photos and videos, by pressing Select Content and tapping the ones you want to select. To change views, press More and Sort & Filter.

2: You can arrange your content by the date it was uploaded to BT Cloud, rather than by the date it was taken.  Here you can also switch to the Photos or Videos only views. Click Save once you have made your changes.


3: Organise your photos and videos by albums. To do this, select the photos you want to add to an Album (using the Select Content option on the More menu), then press the More icon again and Add to Album.

Once you have content selected in BT Cloud, you'll see three icons along the top of the screen:

Transforms the content into a slideshow, which can be saved down or shared.

Allows you to share the selected content through other applications or get a link to share with friends and family.

 Brings up the ‘additional options’ menu, where you can download content to your device, delete content and add to favourites. 

You can easily add your music library to BT Cloud from your PC or Mac. From there, you can listen to all your songs using the BT Cloud app. You can view music by album, artist, track or playlist. You can change the view using the icons at the bottom of the screen.

To play music from BT Cloud, open the album or playlist you'd like to play, and then press the Play icon. Alternatively, you can select the songs, albums, artists or playlists you'd like to listen by tapping More (three horizontal dots) and choosing Play.

You can see the music that's currently playing in the Now Playing screen of the BT Cloud music selection. The icon for Now Playing looks like a headset:

To organise your music, tap the More icon, select your tracks and tap More again. You can download the music to your device, add to a playlist, delete or play. 

You can browse all the content that's been added to BT Cloud from other computers or mobile devices using the BT Cloud app. To see this content, go to the All Files section of the BT Cloud app.

Here you'll see a folder for each of the computers you have connected to BT Cloud, as well as the main BT Cloud folder. Inside your BT Cloud folder will be a folder for all the mobile devices you have connected to BT Cloud.

You can click into any of the folders to browse all the content that's come from those devices. 

BT Cloud on the web

You can access BT Cloud on the web by going to https://btcloud.bt.com, and logging in with your primary BT ID.

BT Cloud on the web will run in Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft Internet Explorer. If your web browser is an old version, you might need to upgrade to the latest version before you’ll be able to access BT Cloud.

The BT Cloud website lets you:

  • Browse and download all the content you've stored on BT Cloud from any computer with an internet connection
  • Upload files to BT Cloud from your computer
  • Listen to music and watch videos that you've stored in BT Cloud without needing to download them to your computer
  • Organise your content into Albums, Playlists and Folders

When you first log on to BT Cloud on the web you’ll be taken to the 'My Activity' screen. Here you can see everything that’s been recently added to BT Cloud.

Getting started with the new BT Cloud

You can get around BT Cloud using the drop-down menu at the top of the screen.

Getting started with the new BT Cloud

You'll find all the content that’s been added to BT Cloud from your other devices in the All my files section.

Here, you'll find one folder for each PC or Mac you've backed up to BT Cloud, as well as the BT Cloud folder.

Getting started with the new BT Cloud

Inside the BT Cloud folder is a separate folder for each mobile device you've backed up to BT Cloud.

Getting started with the new BT Cloud

If you want to download everything from a specific device then just select the folder you’re looking for by ticking it, then press Download, which you'll find on the More menu.

Getting started with the new BT Cloud

Each time you update a file that’s saved on BT Cloud on your computer or smartphone, BT Cloud will upload a new version of that file to BT Cloud. This means that the original file is saved along with the updates you’ve made.

If you save some changes to a file but then want to get a previously saved version back, you’ll be able to find it using on the BT Cloud website. To do this:

  1. Find the file in the All My Files section of BT Cloud
  2. Tick the file in question, then choose Versions from the More menu at the top of the screen.
  3. Here you’ll be able to see every version of a file that’s been saved
  4. To download a previous file version, click Download
  5. To delete a previous file version, choose Delete

Be aware that backing up a very large file that you modify often could use up your BT Cloud storage space very quickly. This is because each time you modify it a new version is saved. We strongly recommend that you don’t use BT Cloud to back up large system files that are frequently modified, such as Outlook Data Files.

Getting started with the new BT Cloud

You'll find all your photos and videos in the Photos section of the BT Cloud website.

The default view is to show all your photos and videos together but you can filter down to just see photos or videos from a specific computer. Just use the Show All drop-down menu on the right-hand side of the screen.

Getting started with the new BT Cloud

You can organise your photos and videos into albums to make them easier to find and view. If you’re using the BT Cloud PC or Mac clients to back up your photos it will automatically create an album for each folder on your computer.

To organise your photos, start by clicking on the ones you’d like to work with.

Getting started with the new BT Cloud

Once you've selected some photos, you have several options:

  • Share - Post the selected photos to Facebook or Twitter, or create a link you can give to friends or family. This will let them view and download the selected photos directly from BT Cloud
  • Slideshow - Start a full screen slideshow of the photos or videos you’ve selected
  • Add to Album - Add the selected items to an album. You can add them to an existing album, or create a new one
  • Favourite - Mark the selected items as Favourites to make them easier to find
  • Download - Download all of the items you’ve selected to your Photos
  • Delete - Move photos to the Deleted Items folder
  • Tags - Tag people in your photos or videos using your BT Cloud contact list

You can listen to all the music you've stored in BT Cloud from your web browser, without the need to download the songs to your computer first.

To play something, just select the songs, albums, artists or playlists you want to listen to and click Play.

Getting started with the new BT Cloud

You can organise music into playlists. To do this, select the music you want to add, then press Add to Playlist.

Getting started with the new BT Cloud

Once the music is playing, a purple ‘Now Playing’ bar will appear at the bottom of the screen. You can use this to skip tracks and pause or play your music. You can move around the BT Cloud website without stopping the music from playing, but if you leave the BT Cloud website the music will stop.

Getting started with the new BT Cloud

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