What Is DCIM? What Does DCIM Stand for? [Beginner Guide]

Photos taken with any digital camera or the Camera app on an Android or iOS device are saved to a DCIM folder. DCIM means "Digital Camera Images" in the industry. You have undoubtedly seen a DCIM folder in your phone's file management and wondered what it meant. This unique folder was preinstalled on your device for a specific purpose. This article will explain the function of the DCIM folder, what it stands for, and its contents.

What Is DCIM?

The Digital Camera Images Folder, often known as the DCIM Folder, is the folder that stores images and pictures on almost all electronic devices, including mobile phones, digital cameras, tablets, and so on. When you browse the folders on your device using a PC, you will most likely find images taken with your device camera stored in the DCIM folder.

These images will be stored in the "Camera" subfolder of the DCIM folder. In some instances, you may also find "Facebook" (maybe you should learn how to download and backup Facebook photos in advance) and "Restored" (for images restored from Google Photos) subfolders within the general DCIM folder. It is expected that all of your photographs will be stored in the DCIM folder of a smartphone. Something like Photos or Images would be much more apparent and simpler to notice, but the choice of DCIM is intentional and serves a purpose.

What Does DCIM Stand for?

One of the files preinstalled on your Android smartphone is called DCIM, which stands for Digital Camera Images. All photographs taken using the Camera on your phone will be saved in this folder. It includes any screenshots you have taken on the device in question.

The Gallery app pulls all your photographs from this folder when it is opened. This is the folder responsible for holding the majority of the different kinds of photographs available on your device.

Inside this primary folder, you will discover several subfolders. These subfolders are primarily Camera, which stores the photographs taken with your Camera; screenshots, which store the screenshots you have taken; album names, which store the photographs you have taken for each of your albums; and Thumbnails.

The DCIM folder could be located on the internal storage of your phone, or it might be on the external storage of your phone, depending on the construction of your phone.

Conclusion

If you are unsure of what the camera folder on your device is for, the information that was just shown to you should be able to explain what DCIM stands for and how you can access the folder. It also helps you uncover a hidden folder that consumes an excessive amount of your memory space and allows you to remove the folder to make more room.