Connect cloud mail as a network drive. What is cloud file storage? Opening a video from disk without downloading it completely

The Mail.Ru service offers its users proprietary cloud storage, where you can upload any individual files up to 2 GB and a total volume of up to 8 GB for free. How to create and connect this “Cloud”? Let's figure it out.

Absolutely any user who has at least some Mailbox, optionally from @mail.ru. IN free plan you can take advantage of 8 GB of space and access files from any device.

The methods discussed below are independent of each other - you can create a cloud using any of the options described below.

Method 1: Web version

To create a “Cloud” web version, you don’t even need to have a domain mailbox @mail.ru- you can log in with the email of other services, for example, @yandex.ru or @gmail.com.

If you plan to install a program for working with the cloud on your computer in addition to the web version, use email only @mail.ru. Otherwise, you simply will not be able to log in to the PC version of the Cloud with mail from other services. In addition, it is not necessary to use the site - you can immediately go to Method 2, download the program and log in through it. If you use only the web version, you can log in to your mail from any email.

Well, if you don't have it yet Email or do you want to create new box, go through the registration procedure for the service using our instructions below.

As such, there is no creation of personal cloud storage - the user just needs to go to the appropriate section and accept the terms license agreement and start using the service.

Method 2: PC program

For active users, who need to constantly have access to their files from the Cloud, it is recommended to install desktop application. Mail.Ru offers to take advantage of a convenient opportunity - connect your cloud storage so that it appears in the list of devices along with physical hard drives.

In addition, the application works with files different formats: opening a program "Disk-O", you will be able to edit documents in, save presentations in, work in, and save all the results and developments directly to the online storage.

Another feature of the application is that it supports logging into other accounts (aka Google One) and will work with other popular clouds in the future. Through it you can register by mail.

1. Follow the link above, find the button "Download for Windows"(or just below the link "Download for MacOS") and click on it. Please note that the browser window must be maximized to full screen - if it has small size, the site perceives this as viewing the page from a mobile device and offers to log in from a PC.





2. Run the installer. Initially, the installer will ask you to accept the terms of the agreement. Check the box and click on "Further".



3. Two additional tasks will appear that are active by default. If you do not need a shortcut on the desktop and autorun with Windows, uncheck the boxes. Click "Further".



4. A summary and notification that the installation is ready will be displayed. Click "Install". During the procedure, a window may appear asking you to make changes to your PC. Agree by clicking "Yes".



5. At the end of the installation, you will be asked to restart your computer. Select the desired option and click "Complete".



6. After the system restarts, open installed program.

   

   You will be prompted to select the drive you want to connect to. Hover over it and a blue button will appear "Add". Click on it.



7. An authorization window will open. Enter your login and password from @mail.ru(more about support electronic mailboxes other email services, read at the beginning of this article) and click "To plug".



8. After successful authorization, an information window will appear. Here you will see the percentage free space, the email through which the connection occurred and the drive letter assigned to this storage.

   

   Here you can add another disk and make settings using the gear button.

9. At the same time, a system explorer window will open in parallel with files stored in your Cloud. If you haven't added anything yet, the standard files, showing examples of how and what can be stored here. You can safely delete them, thereby freeing up about 500 MB of space.

The “Cloud” itself will be located in "Computer", along with other media, from where you can access it.

However, if you terminate the process (close the installed program), the drive will disappear from this list.

Method 3: Mobile application “Cloud Mail.Ru”

Quite often, access to files and documents is needed from a mobile device. You can install the application for a smartphone/tablet on Android/iOS and work with saves at a convenient time. Please remember that some file extensions may not be supported by your mobile device, so you will need to install them to view them. special applications, for example, archivers or advanced players.

We looked at 3 ways to create the Mail.Ru Cloud. You can use them selectively or all at once - it all depends on your activity level.

This note is intended for users strangers with cloud data storage - for those who do not know how to start using them.

Today we will talk about what a “cloud” is for storing files. Let's talk about choice. Let's try to create.

What is cloud file storage?

“Cloud” is space allocated to the user on the hard drive of a server located on the Internet. This space can be used like a regular folder, as if it were located on your computer.

Indeed, when you connect the cloud to your computer, it creates special folder. The peculiarity of this folder is this: everything that goes into it is immediately transferred to the cloud. In a word, the contents of the local folder are synchronized with exactly the same folder on the server.

What benefits does using the cloud provide to the average user?

For simple user Cloud data storage provides many interesting advantages:

On this moment, exists great amount storage facilities of various sizes. There are domestic and foreign. Among the foreign ones we can highlight Dropbox and Google Drive. From domestic ones - [email protected], Yandex.Disk.

It would be wrong not to mention Chinese technologies that allow the user to store more than a terabyte of data. Perhaps such proposals are suitable for some, but something inside tells me that it is not logical to store 1 TB of photos or documents on a server in China.

So, let's begin. If you have mail on Yandex, Mail.Ru, GMail - congratulations! You do not need to register anywhere else. Users of these services have access to cloud storage immediately.

For those who have Google account— Drive.Google.Ru

For Yandex account owners - Yandex.Disk

At the time of writing, 100 GB are available to us in our [email protected] storage since a promotion was held several years ago. Now when you register for the service they will give you not much, not little - 25 GB cloud space.

On Yandex.Disk we have 10 GB of usable space, Google kindly provided us with 15 GB for three services - Photos, Mail, and Disk itself.

It would be a sin not to mention another foreign storage that is popular in Russia - Dropbox.com

Initially, this storage allows you to use only 2 GB of cloud space. But this volume can be increased several times almost in a matter of seconds after registration. There are several things to do simple tasks, But more on that later.

Cloud storage client program

Every self-respecting service cloud storage data, there is an application that allows you to automate all processes of storage, synchronization, and data management. All of the above services have applications for PC, MAC, iOS, Android, and Linux.

When installing such an application on any device, a special directory is created on it - a folder with the name of the cloud. Exactly what will go into this folder and will be synchronized with the cloud.

Applications allow you to import files from flash drives connected to a PC, and the mobile application can send photos taken with a smartphone to the cloud.

By installing the application on all your devices, you will get rid of many problems that arise when storing and moving data. For example, as mentioned above, photos from your smartphone will almost instantly go to the cloud and then to your computers - home, and, if desired, work. The same thing happens with documents - by saving unfinished work in the cloud, you can finish it at home. The benefits of cloud technologies are immediately visible.

You can download applications for Android and iOS in the corresponding stores, and for PC and MAC you just need to go to the repository website and download the client.

Connecting to Dropbox from scratch

Create a cloud for storing files

Let's try to register in the cloud data storage - Dropbox. To get started, follow this link. Fill in the fields: Name, Surname, Mail And Password, put tick agreement with the terms of service. Click the button <Зарегистрироваться> .

Immediately after this, you will be redirected to a page where you will be asked to download the Dropbox client. This has never happened before, apparently they decided to take the “bull by the horns” right away.

The web installer for the client program that needs to be launched will download. This is exactly what the following screen offers:

The client will begin downloading and its subsequent installation on your computer.

The completion of the installation will be indicated by a blue rectangular window asking you to start and open Dropbox.

Ahead of you are 4 or 5 screens with a story about the storage capabilities. You can read it, or you can skip it - you will find all this very well later yourself.

And now the long-awaited moment has arrived. appeared on your computer new folder — Dropbox.

Quickly log into your account

Let's go to your account on the Dropbox website. In order to do this quickly (without entering your login and password), open your newly created Dropbox folder, click on any empty space right click mouse and select the item with the blue box icon "View on Dropbox.com"
The browser should open and after a couple of seconds, you will be taken to your storage account. What's interesting here?

Information

If we click on our name we will see detailed information about our capabilities.

Here we see that we are given only 2 GB for our needs disk space. “Not enough,” you will say, and you will be absolutely right. 2GB is negligible for our time. Why do people use Dropbox?

• Reliable
• Cross-platform (MacOS, iOS, Windows, Linux, Android)
• Free
• Good download speed
• Flexible file management options
• View most documents in the web interface
• Editing documents in the web interface
• It is possible to “earn” additional space, but more on that below
• Many sites allow their service to interact with your storage

Email confirmation

In order for us to fully use the data storage, we need to confirm your email address. If you have not received a letter by email, request it again right here at home page storage:

Let's check the mail - the letter is there:

Open the envelope and click on the blue confirmation button:

We will be redirected again to a page where we will be thanked for our confirmation:

Now, we can work with the cloud calmly.

Let's create a folder and “share”

Let's try to create a folder with any name. We will name the girl with whom we plan to exchange data using the cloud.

A small window will pop up in which:

1. Enter a friend's e-mail
2. Assigning powers to a friend
3. Let's share!

At that same second, Dropbox on your friend’s computer will receive a message that you have shared the folder with him, and if he agrees, your folder will be added to his account and become shared.

“Earning” additional space

Dropbox lets you expand your storage space with all sorts of promotions. For example, for each friend you invite (who installs Dropbox), you will receive an additional 500 MB of disk space.

And in general, it won’t hurt to complete all the tasks proposed by the system and you will be rewarded.

Honestly speaking, 16 GB is probably not the limit free account. Old account one of the site's regular visitors:

Learn more about cloud storage options

Create a direct link to a file/folder

It has already been written above that Dropbox, and any other cloud, allows you to flexibly manage and especially share files. One of the examples was already above. What if you don't want to create with someone? shared resource in the cloud? Then you can simply send the link by mail, VK, Odnoklassniki, etc. Open Dropbox on your computer, right-click on the file you want to get a link to, and click on the appropriate item.

Home and work computers

Set up Dropbox with your account for 2, 3, or more computers, and they will all be synchronized! Home, work, visiting mom, grandma - it doesn’t matter. You can always finish your work by opening the required file.

View and edit any type of document

Almost any storage allows you to view any document - video, animation, photo, office documents almost any format. The latter can also be edited directly in the cloud (for example, if on your home computer No office applications, or for example you want to quickly edit from a tablet). Documents are opened by simply clicking on the file on the cloud site. Additional option allows you to switch to editing mode.

Taking screenshots

Taking a screenshot with Dropbox is easy. Yandex.Disk has a function for instantly editing them, which Dropbox cannot boast of. And yet, in order to save the screenshot to the folder C:\Users\Username\Dropbox\Screenshots you just need to press a button on keyboard.

You can immediately in the manner described above“share” the screenshot and send it to a friend. All screenshots for this note were taken using Dropbox and processed in regular Paint.

Transferring pictures from a smartphone to storage

If you have the Dropbox app installed on your smartphone, you can configure it in such a way that your pictures and videos are instantly sent to the cloud, and therefore to your home computer.

Interaction with web services

Many web services that work with files (for example, online converters sound files), to speed up downloading and uploading audio, photo, video files, use cloud storage very heavily. You provide a link to a file in the cloud, and in a matter of seconds it “migrates” to the editor. After editing, you provide access to the cloud, and the file is uploaded to the cloud in a couple of seconds. You can leave the service, and the client will download the file from the storage to the computer.

A good example is the service for cutting and merging audio files www.mp3cut.ru, which is on the first line for the request “cut a song online.”

As you can see, it supports downloading from two popular storages, plus VK (why not cloud storage?).

Conclusion

We really hope we were able to help you. Behind cloud technologies a future that has already arrived. Remember the same ChromeOS - without the Internet it is not much of a useful operating system, but connect to the network and it will flourish. Everything is built on cloud technologies.

Why this particular storage facility was chosen today has been written above. The purpose of this article is to briefly describe the capabilities of file storage. They are built according to the same principle. Differences in volumes, speeds, appearance, and so on. Try, register, install, work. Your data will always be safe and secure, no matter what happens.

If you are interested in more detailed description Dropbox, or would you like to see something similar for others? cloud storage- write in the comments

Good day!

IN Lately More and more often I hear questions regarding cloud storage, cloud, cloud disk, etc. In fact, behind all these words one thing is hidden: you will have your own on the Internet HDD(figuratively), for example, 10-100 GB in size.

You can place any files on it: photos, videos, programs, games, etc. (relevant, for example, for a phone that often lacks memory: instead of a flash drive, you can connect the cloud and upload photos there automatically).

And the main advantage of the cloud: you can get the data from any of your devices that is connected to the Internet: phone, tablet, computer, etc. It is convenient to transfer files from one device to another, share links with friends to the necessary files.

And, perhaps, I would highlight one more advantage of a cloud disk: its reliability, And safety files stored in it. No matter what anyone says, your files on the same phone are at much greater risk: imagine accidentally dropping the phone (or spilling something on it) - and that’s it, there are no files. Another thing is about cloud storage: even if your phone or computer is completely disabled, by connecting from another device you will again have access to your files.

I think I have given enough advantages! In general, in the article I wanted to talk about how to create such a cloud for yourself, how to connect and configure it. So...

With the popularization of cloud storage, services of this kind are becoming more and more common. Many users are only chasing the amount of space allocated for files. Meanwhile, I would also recommend choosing reliable and time-tested companies. Yes, and use the disk with high speed access (albeit a smaller volume) is more pleasant than slow.

I'll give you the best of them...

I am an index drive

One of the most popular cloud services from Yandex. Many users also already have mail from this service, which means there will be no problems connecting the disk.

Main advantages:

By the way, I will show further description and configuration of the cloud disk, using Yandex disk as an example. In principle, work with all services is similar...

Cloud @mail.ru

A similar cloud disk service from Mail.ru (famous postal service). By the way, if you follow all the recommendations of the service, you will get as much as 100 GB of disk space (current on the day the article was published)!

Main advantages:

1. files on the disk are accessible from a smartphone and computer;
2. high reliability of hosted files;
3. opportunity automatic download photos from your phone;
4. full integration with mail (very convenient, for example, to attach files to a letter directly from a cloud drive!);
5. quick ability to exchange files with any other user on the Internet.

Google Drive Drive)

For those who use services (mail, for example) from Google - Google Drive it will come in handy. After registration, you receive 15 GB of space to store any files: pictures, videos, archives, etc. If there is not enough space, then for an additional small payment it can be significantly expanded!

I would especially like to note that, having got yourself such a disk from Google, you will not even need to install Word and Excel on your computer - because... You can edit and create files in this format directly from Google Drive.

Google's cloud drive is closely integrated with other services of this company. For example, you can easily attach files and send them by mail. Generally, good competitor the first two services.

Dropbox

The service has been offering cloud storage since 2007 (older than many competitors). Compared to them, he offers in free version much less space, only 2 GB. But you can expand the space by following the recommendations from the developers, or get 1 TB of space (or more) for a relatively small payment per month (~$8). It might be hard to find storage that's as huge if you want to back up your entire hard drive, for example.

Otherwise, the service is similar to the previous ones: there are all the same things about downloading, synchronization, working with documents, etc. By the way, the service fully supports the Russian language.

One Drive

Service One Drive presented by famous by Microsoft. IN free version- you will receive a 5 GB disk. But for ~2500 rubles. per year you can get a disk with a size of 1 TB (1000 GB). Agree that the name of such a capacious disk, you can transfer and work with hundreds of photos and videos.

You can work with the disk from almost any device: on a PC, Mac computers and devices with Android and iOS. You can work with files from Word programs, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote for one or several users at once. Agree that creating documents in 2-3 is much easier and faster.

By the way, in OneDrive, photos that are uploaded to the service are automatically tagged depending on what is captured on them. Thanks to this, using albums in OneDrive, you can easily organize them and quickly find the photos you need right now (a super thing for those who have a lot of photos).

Connecting Yandex disk (cloud) to Windows and Android

And so, I will assume that your email is already registered. Now the easiest way to connect a drive in both Windows and Android is to install special applications. This is done in a standard and easy way, so I won’t give a detailed description. The download links for these apps are provided below.

Yandex Disk application (For PC):

Yandex Disk application for smartphone:

After installing the application on your PC, in “My Computer” you will see a link to “Yandex. Disk” (as in the screenshot below). Now you can upload any of your files and folders there.

Perhaps the only negative: to access your files on such a disk you need the Internet (and preferably a fast one ☺).

On your smartphone, after installing the application, you will have a link to “Disk”, by opening which you will immediately gain access to your files. By the way, for installing the application on a smartphone, Yandex gives 32 GB!

Now files from your computer (laptop) can be transferred to your phone (and back) in a matter of minutes (no need to download and install any drivers on your phone). Comfortable!

Like a network drive

By the way, in Windows cloud Yandex disk can be connected as usual network drive(without installation additional software from Yandex). This can be very useful in some cases.

How it's done:

How to share files with friends, how to transfer files

In general, when connecting, for example, a smartphone to Yandex disk and Wi-Fi available connections - all photos will be automatically synchronized and uploaded to cloud drive. Below are some frequently encountered tasks.

Transfer files or photos between your smartphone and PC

In general, everything is very simple:

Transfer files from a smartphone or PC to someone else's smartphone or PC

If you need to send photos or files to a friend, acquaintances, or relatives, you can share them and provide a link to download them.

To do this, you need to open Explorer in Windows and go to Yandex disk. Next, find the file or folder to which you want to give access. In my example, I selected the file.

Just click on the required file right-click and select from the pop-up context menu "Yandex disk - copy public link" . Now this link can be sent (for example, by mail, as an SMS, in Skype, in Viber, etc.) to whoever needs it, and he will be able to download your file(s).

If you want to find out which files you have links to, or over time you want to remove links to download certain files, then just go to Yandex disk, open the item "Links" in the menu on the left, and you will see a list of files that you have shared with someone previously. In this tab you can remove everything you previously shared.

That's basically all I wanted to talk about in this article.

Recently, not only computer, but also mobile technologies. In this regard, the issue of secure storage of relatively large volumes of information has become very acute. And it is for this purpose that many IT corporations offer users of any type of device the use of so-called cloud services. How to use the cloud and services included in basic set any developer will now be considered.

What is cloud storage?

First, let’s define what kind of service this is. Roughly speaking, this file storage in the form of allocated disk space to the company providing such services.

In other words, in a sense, it can be called a kind of virtual flash drive on which a certain amount of data is placed. However, if you need to constantly carry a USB device with you to access downloaded information, then such a service (for example, the Mail.Ru cloud or the corresponding Google service) can be accessed from both a computer and a mobile device. That is, the files are synchronized in the cloud itself, and you can view or download them simply by entering your registration data (although in some cases this is not required).

Quite a lot has already been written about how to use the cloud. Now let’s pay attention to some main points, and also consider the simplest principles of its use, explaining the situation in detail.

Most popular services

It goes without saying that initially, to use such storages, you need to decide on a service provider, that is, choose the most suitable service for yourself

Today you can find quite a lot of such services. The most popular are the following:

• Dropbox.
• SkyDrive.
• Cloud Mail.Ru.
• "Yandex.Disk".
• Google Drive ( Google Drive).
• Apple iCloud and iCloud Drive.
• OneDrive, etc.

Before we figure out how to use each type of cloud, it should be noted that these services are somewhat uneven when compared to each other. The fact is that some repositories can be accessed exclusively from a computer terminal, while others require synchronization of both computers and mobile devices. Sometimes you may need a specialized application that plays the role of a kind of conductor, sometimes just an Internet browser is enough.

The same applies to freely allocated disk space for storing your files, as well as payment for additional volume for remote server. In any case, most services are very similar to each other.

What should you pay attention to before starting work?

Now let's look at some important points, without which the use of cloud services is out of the question.

The very first and most important thing is pre-registration, and in some cases it is absolutely unimportant whether it will be done via the Internet using a regular browser or a special computer or mobile application. The whole process takes a few minutes.

Benefit from stationary systems Mobile devices with operating systems installed on them differ. The fact is that when you turn it on for the first time, to access some advanced functions or stores like AppStore or Google Play (Play Market) the system initially prompts you to create an account (registered email address and password). Moreover, your smartphone or tablet already has pre-installed application for working with cloud services. For convenience, you can install their desktop counterparts on your computer or laptop (although access can also be obtained through a browser).

Allocable disk space

Another important point- the amount of disk space that the user initially receives in the free version. Typically, the volume is different services ranges from 5 to 50 GB. If this is not enough, you will have to increase the storage capacity and pay for it a certain amount, which includes the cost of purchasing a larger volume and maintenance over a certain period of use, which, by the way, can also vary.

General principles

As for how to use the cloud in the broadest sense, everything is quite simple. After registration, the user only needs to add folders and files, contacts and much more to the storage.

At the same time, in the settings section, he can add friends who, like him, will upload files to the server or edit them (the simplest example is Dropbox). Often new users can use own passwords to login.

But here's what's interesting. When installing special program On a computer, access to files in the cloud is much faster than when launching the same Internet browser. The same can be said about synchronization. It is enough to place the files in the application folder, and synchronization will be performed instantly for all users who have access rights to the service. Let's look at the most popular storage facilities.

Cloud Mail.Ru

So, as mentioned above, you will first need to create an email box, after entering which the panel at the top in the projects tab will display cloud service. This is the Mile cloud. How to use it? As easy as pie.

Initially, 25 GB of disk space is offered. carried out using the corresponding button, which can be used to add several objects at once. The limitation concerns only the size of the uploaded file - it should not exceed 2 GB. Before starting the download, you can use additional functions, for example, create and then just as easily files can be moved and deleted. Please note: it does not have a “Trash”, as in the same Yandex service, so restore deleted information will not work.

The function of creating, viewing or editing files can be very useful. Let's say we have Word document(or it is created directly in the repository). Changing it directly in the cloud can be as easy as if the user were launching the editor on a computer. Upon completion of work, we save the changes, after which synchronization occurs again.

Yandex cloud: how to use?

With the Yandex service, in principle, things are almost identical. The functional set, in general, does not differ much.

But the developers of this service thought that the user could delete files completely by accident. This is where the so-called “Trash” comes to the rescue, into which information is placed when deleted. It works like a standard computer service. True, data recovery tools are not applicable to it if they have already been deleted from the Recycle Bin. Nevertheless, the function is very useful.

Google Drive storage

Now let's move on to another powerful service called Google Cloud. How to use Google Drive? Fundamental differences compared to other services, no. But here access can be obtained both from a mobile device (built-in service) and using a utility installed on a computer (not to mention logging in via an Internet browser). With a phone or tablet everything is simple, let’s look at the computer program.

We assume that the account has already been created. After activation, the user receives 5 GB of storage. An increase to 25 GB will cost approximately 2.5 USD. We install the application on the computer, after which the service folder appears on the Desktop (it is also displayed in Explorer).

As is already clear, just place the files in this directory and synchronization will occur. During operation, the program “hangs” in the system tray in the form of an icon. Right click calls extra menu, where you can view the available space for downloading files, make personalized settings, expand storage space, shut down, etc.

One point is especially worth noting here. As it turns out, copy the files to the program folder on your computer, and then download them from the cloud to mobile device It turns out to be much faster than connecting the gadget to a computer and then copying using Windows.

iCloud and iCloud Drive services

Finally, let's see how to use Apple cloud. There are two services (iCloud and iCloud Drive) that are pre-installed on the iPhone or iPad in accordance with the version of the operating system installed on the device. Essentially, iCloud Drive is updated version iCloud, and for it correct operation I should take into account that mobile gadget must correspond to the stated technical requirements: iOS 8 on the device itself. Computer - Windows 7 or higher with iCloud extension for Windows or computer terminal with Mac OS X 10.10 or OS X Yosemite.

Initially, after logging into the service, folders created by default will be displayed there. Their number may vary depending on the settings of the computer and the client on the mobile device. How to use the cloud on iPhone? In principle, there is nothing supernatural about this. It is enough to launch the application on the gadget (switch the launch slider to the on state) and log in using account. It's another matter when the input is supposed to be from a computer. Here you will need to use the settings menu of the program itself and select enable there.

Another minus - enough low speed synchronization (this is recognized by everyone). And one more, most unpleasant moment. If you switch from iCloud to iCloud Drive without updating all devices to the required configuration, the data in the old cloud will simply not be accessible, so be vigilant.

Conclusion

That’s briefly all that concerns the question of how to use the Cloud application or services of the same name. Of course, not all the possibilities of such services are considered here, but, so to speak, only general principles(basics) of work. However, even with such minimal knowledge, any newly registered user will be able to carry out basic operations within 5-10 minutes.

To exchange files between computers and mobile gadgets, cables and flash drives are no longer needed. If devices have Internet access, files can “fly” between them “on the cloud.” More precisely, they can “settle” in cloud storage, which is a collection of servers scattered around the world (combined into one virtual - cloud server), where users post their data for a fee or for free. In the cloud, files are stored in exactly the same way as on a computer’s hard drive, but are accessible not from one, but from different devices that are able to connect to it.

Every second or third Internet user has already adopted cloud data storage technology and uses it with pleasure, but some still resort to flash drives. After all, not everyone knows about this opportunity, and some simply cannot decide which service to choose and how to use it. Well, let's figure it out together.

What are cloud storages from a user's point of view and how do they work?

If you look through the eyes of an inexperienced user, cloud storage is normal application. All it does is create a folder on the computer under its own name. But not simple. Everything you put into it is simultaneously copied to the same cloud Internet server and becomes accessible from other devices. The size of this folder is limited and can grow within the limits of the disk space allocated to you (on average from 2 GB).

If the cloud storage application is running and the computer (mobile gadget) is connected to global network, data on the hard drive and in the cloud are synchronized in real time. At battery life, and also when the application is not running, all changes are saved only in local folder. When the machine is connected to the Internet, access to the storage becomes possible, including through a browser.

Files and folders uploaded to the cloud are full-fledged web objects, the same as any content on Internet sites and FTP storages. You can link to them and share links with other people, even those who do not use this service. But only those to whom you have authorized it will be able to download or see an object from your storage. In the cloud, your data is hidden from view prying eyes and are securely password protected.

The majority of cloud services have additional functionality - a file viewer, built-in document editors, tools for creating screenshots, etc. This, plus the amount of space provided, creates the main differences between them.

— a cloud data storage service that needs no introduction Windows users. Of course, in latest issues In this OS (in the “top ten”) it actually climbs on top of everything on the screen, since it is configured to autorun by default.

For Windows users, the advantage of the service is Microsoft OneDrive Compared to analogues, there is, perhaps, only one thing - it does not need to be installed. Also you don't need to create for it separate account— to log into the cloud, just enter your Microsoft account information.

The owner of one Microsoft OneDrive account provides 5 GB of free disk space to store any information. To get additional volume, you will have to pay extra. The maximum is 5 TB and costs 3,399 rubles per year, however, this package includes not only disk space, but also Office application 365 (home release). More affordable tariff plans are 1 TB (2,699 rubles per year - storage and Office 365 personal) and 50 GB (140 rubles per month - storage only).

Additional features of all tariffs:

• Support for other operating systems - Mac OS X, iOS and Android.
• View and edit documents using built-in Office applications.
• Remote access to the entire contents of the computer (not just the OneDrive folder) on which the service is installed and your Microsoft account is used.
• Creation of photo albums.
• Built-in messenger (Skype).
• Creation and storage of text notes.
• Search.

Paid versions only:

• Creating links with a limited validity period.
• Offline folders.
• Multi-page scanning and saving documents to a PDF file.

In general, the service is not bad, but sometimes there are problems logging into your account. If you are going to work with the web version of the storage (via a browser) and log into it under a different IP address than you used before, Microsoft sometimes runs a check that the account belongs to you, which takes a lot of time.

There have also been complaints about user content being removed from OneDrive when Microsoft suspected it was unlicensed.

is one of the oldest cross-platform cloud storage services. Unlike the previous one, it supports all major OS, as well as some rarely used ones, such as Symbian and MeeGo. The service is very easy to use, works quickly and stably.

A DropBox user is provided with only 2 GB of disk space for free to store personal files, but this volume can be doubled by creating and attaching another account to your account - a work account (which can actually be personal). Together you get 4 GB.

Switching between personal and work disk space on the DropBox website and in the application is carried out without logging out of your account (no need to enter your username and password each time). An account is created on the computer for both accounts. separate folder— 2 GB each.

DropBox, as expected, also has several tariff plans. About free it was said above, Paid ones are “Plus” (1 TB, $8.25 per month, intended for personal use), “Standard” (2 TB, $12.50 per month, for business), “Advanced” (unlimited capacity, $20 per month per user) and “Enterprise” (unlimited capacity, individually set price). The differences between the last two lie in the set of additional options.

In addition to storage, free users have access to:

• Service collaboration with DropBox Paper documents.
• Ability to share links and create public folders.
• Log of file changes with the ability to restore them to previous version(up to 30 days).
• Commenting on files - both your own and other users, if the file is available for viewing.
• Search function.
• Receiving notifications about events (customizable individually).
• Automatic uploading of photos from the camera (by the way, DropBox provided users with additional space for enabling this option some time ago).
• Select full or selective synchronization.
• Encryption of data during storage and transmission.

The possibilities of paid tariffs can be listed for a very long time, so we will only note the main ones:

• Remotely destroy data from DropBox on a lost or stolen device.
• Limit the link's validity period.
• Two-factor account authentication.
• Setting access levels to different data.
• Enhanced HIPAA/HITECH class information protection ( safe storage medical documentation).
• 24/7 technical support.

DropBox, if not the best, is a very worthy service. Despite the small volume by today's standards free space, it is used by millions of people around the world.

Mega (Megasync)

As is clear from the description, Amazon Web Services is aimed only at the corporate sector and is not intended for storing albums with photographs of cats, although it is possible that someone uses it for this too. After all, cloud file storage - Amazon Glacier, like Yandex disk, provides users with 10 free GB. The cost of additional volume is $0.004 per 1 GB per month.

Comparing Amazon Glacier with the web resources described above is perhaps incorrect, since they have slightly different purposes. The functionality and capabilities of this service are determined by business objectives, including:

• Uninterrupted operation, increased reliability.
• Compliance enhanced protection data.
• Multilingual interface.
• Unlimited volume (expansion for an additional fee).
• Ease of use and flexible settings.
• Integration with other services Amazon Web Services.

Those who are interested in Amazon's capabilities can read the complete documentation for AWS products, which is located on the official website.

Mail.ru

It ranks second or third in the popularity rating of file web storage among Russian-speaking audiences. In terms of its range of capabilities, it is comparable to Google Drive and Yandex Drive: like them, it contains web applications for creating and editing documents (texts, tables, presentations) and a screenshoter (a utility for taking screenshots). It is also integrated with other Mail.ru projects - mail, social networks “My World” and “Odnoklassniki”, the “Mail. Dating”, etc., has a convenient file viewer with a flash player and is also very affordable (for those for whom the allocated volume is not enough).

The size of the free disk space of the Mail cloud is 8 GB (previously this figure has changed several times). The premium tariff for 64 GB costs 690 rubles per year. For 128 GB you will have to pay 1,490 rubles per year, for 256 GB - 2,290 rubles per year. The maximum volume is 512 GB, which will cost 3,790 rubles per year.

Other functions of the service are not much different from similar ones. This:

• Shared folders.
• Synchronization.
• Built-in search.
• Ability to share links.

The Mail.ru client application works on Windows, OS X, iOS and Android.

Cloud storage is a proprietary web service for owners of smartphones and tablets of the same manufacturer. Designed for storage backups data from mobile devices - multimedia content, OS files and other things at the discretion of the user.

Client samsung app Cloud comes pre-installed on phones and tablets released later than the second half of 2016 (more precisely, after the release of Samsung Galaxy Note 7). Registering an account on the service is only possible through it, apparently to weed out outsiders.

Volume free storage is 15 GB. An additional 50GB costs $0.99 per month, and 200GB costs $2.99.

iCloud (Apple)

- a favorite among cloud data storage users Apple products. Of course, it’s free (though not very spacious) and integrated with other Apple services. The service is designed to store backup copies of data from iPhone, iPad and iPod, as well as user media files, mail and documents (the latter are automatically synchronized with the contents of iCloud Drive).

Free capacity iCloud storage is 5 GB. Extra space retails for $0.99 for 50GB, $2.99 ​​for 200GB, and $9.99 for 2TB.

Client iCloud app supports operating Mac systems OS X, iOS and Windows. Official application It has not been developed for Android, but owners of devices based on this OS can view mail from the Apple cloud on their device.

Completes the top parade of cloud storage Chinese service. As you can see from the screenshot, it is clearly not adapted for you and me. Why is it needed then, if there are domestic, European and American analogues that are more familiar to Russian-speaking people? The fact is that Baidu provides users with a whole terabyte of free disk space. For this reason, it is worth overcoming translation difficulties and other obstacles.

Registration on Baidu Cloud is significantly more labor-intensive than competitors. It requires confirmation with a code sent via SMS, and SMS with Chinese server does not reach Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian numbers. Our fellow citizens have to get by with the help of rent virtual number phone, but that's not all. The second difficulty is that an account cannot be registered with some email addresses. In particular, on gmail services(Google is blocked in China), fastmail and Yandex. And the third difficulty is the need to install the Baidu Cloud mobile application on your phone or tablet, since this is what 1 TB is given for (when registering on a computer, you will receive only 5 GB). And it, as you understand, is entirely in Chinese.

Aren't you scared? Dare - and you will be rewarded. Information on how to create an account on Baidu yourself is available on the Internet.