diff --git a/pref.h b/pref.h
index e8b9571cd..c7e0ad8ee 100644
--- a/pref.h
+++ b/pref.h
@@ -95,6 +95,7 @@ struct preferences {
 	char *cloud_storage_email_encoded;
 	bool save_password_local;
 	bool show_cloud_pin;
+	bool cloud_background_sync;
 };
 enum unit_system_values {
 	METRIC,
diff --git a/qt-ui/preferences.cpp b/qt-ui/preferences.cpp
index c6e1e2bd5..426944da0 100644
--- a/qt-ui/preferences.cpp
+++ b/qt-ui/preferences.cpp
@@ -219,6 +219,7 @@ void PreferencesDialog::setUiFromPrefs()
 	ui.save_password_local->setChecked(prefs.save_password_local);
 	ui.cloud_storage_pin->setVisible(prefs.show_cloud_pin);
 	ui.cloud_storage_pin_label->setVisible(prefs.show_cloud_pin);
+	ui.cloud_background_sync->setChecked(prefs.cloud_background_sync);
 }
 
 void PreferencesDialog::restorePrefs()
@@ -404,6 +405,8 @@ void PreferencesDialog::syncSettings()
 		prefs.cloud_storage_password = strdup(qPrintable(password));
 	}
 	SAVE_OR_REMOVE("show_cloud_pin", default_prefs.show_cloud_pin, prefs.show_cloud_pin);
+	SAVE_OR_REMOVE("cloud_background_sync", default_prefs.cloud_background_sync, ui.cloud_background_sync->isChecked());
+
 	s.endGroup();
 	loadSettings();
 	emit settingsChanged();
@@ -523,6 +526,7 @@ void PreferencesDialog::loadSettings()
 		GET_TXT("password", cloud_storage_password);
 	}
 	GET_BOOL("show_cloud_pin", show_cloud_pin);
+	GET_BOOL("cloud_background_sync", cloud_background_sync);
 	s.endGroup();
 }
 
diff --git a/qt-ui/preferences.ui b/qt-ui/preferences.ui
index 54ffb41d0..0f5e94fe4 100644
--- a/qt-ui/preferences.ui
+++ b/qt-ui/preferences.ui
@@ -413,7 +413,7 @@
               <height>83</height>
              </rect>
             </property>
-            <layout class="QGridLayout" name="gridLayout_3" rowstretch="1,1,1" columnstretch="1,1">
+            <layout class="QGridLayout" name="gridLayout_3" rowstretch="1,1,1" columnstretch="1,1,0">
              <property name="sizeConstraint">
               <enum>QLayout::SetMaximumSize</enum>
              </property>
@@ -451,20 +451,27 @@
                </property>
               </widget>
              </item>
-	     <item row="0" column="2">
+             <item row="0" column="2">
               <widget class="QLabel" name="cloud_storage_pin_label">
                <property name="text">
                 <string>Verification PIN</string>
                </property>
               </widget>
-	     </item>
-	     <item row="1" column="2">
+             </item>
+             <item row="1" column="2">
               <widget class="QLineEdit" name="cloud_storage_pin">
                <property name="toolTip">
                 <string extracomment="One time verification PIN for Subsurface cloud storage infrastructure"/>
                </property>
               </widget>
-	     </item>
+             </item>
+             <item row="2" column="0">
+              <widget class="QCheckBox" name="cloud_background_sync">
+               <property name="text">
+                <string>Sync to cloud in the background?</string>
+               </property>
+              </widget>
+             </item>
             </layout>
            </widget>
           </widget>
@@ -1747,13 +1754,13 @@
   </connection>
  </connections>
  <buttongroups>
-  <buttongroup name="buttonGroup_2"/>
-  <buttongroup name="buttonGroup_4"/>
-  <buttongroup name="buttonGroup_3"/>
-  <buttongroup name="buttonGroup_5"/>
-  <buttongroup name="buttonGroup"/>
   <buttongroup name="buttonGroup_6"/>
+  <buttongroup name="buttonGroup_3"/>
   <buttongroup name="buttonGroup_7"/>
+  <buttongroup name="buttonGroup_4"/>
+  <buttongroup name="buttonGroup"/>
+  <buttongroup name="buttonGroup_5"/>
+  <buttongroup name="buttonGroup_2"/>
   <buttongroup name="verticalSpeed"/>
  </buttongroups>
 </ui>
diff --git a/subsurfacestartup.c b/subsurfacestartup.c
index 0254f0a5a..391cbeb60 100644
--- a/subsurfacestartup.c
+++ b/subsurfacestartup.c
@@ -65,7 +65,8 @@ struct preferences default_prefs = {
 		.album_id = NULL,
 		.access_token = NULL
 	},
-	.defaultsetpoint = 1100
+	.defaultsetpoint = 1100,
+	.cloud_background_sync = true
 };
 
 int run_survey;