The best file sharing websites
As we become ever more reliant on our computers and other devices, the switch to digital is having an impact on other aspects of life as well. Instead of sending letters, people send emails. Instead of using film, we upload pictures to the computer, and rather than hard copies, people now use digital files for their paperwork.
While this switch has made it easier to store your files and clean up clutter, it does present a new challenge about the best way to share, send and store documents and photos. Today, file sharing websites make it easy to securely send your most important – and sensitive – files with others, and with the help of the internet you can upload and send things in seconds.
Choosing a reliable site
Online security is one of the most important factors to consider if you’re looking for a site that makes it easy to share files online. Most emails will only send messages of a certain size, and can slow down or even crash in your inbox when you try to open them. So if you’re planning on sending files regularly, or storing larger files like videos, making use of a file sharing site can make the whole process easier. Most of the reputable file sharing sites take extra security measures to make sure your files are being safely stored and sent.
No matter which site you choose to help you share your files with friends, colleagues and family members, the speed of your internet will always be an important factor in how quickly files upload.
If you don’t have a large broadband package at home or are considering sending very large files, you should be prepared for the process to take a little more time. Most smaller files like documents and photos will send very quickly – it’s when you are sending a much larger volume that this can be more problematic.
If you find your internet is too slow or not reliable enough to upload and share your largest files, it may be easier to load them onto a USB drive and send them the old fashioned way in the post – the files will take a little more time to arrive at their destination, but it won’t put a strain on your home or office internet connection when you’re trying to use it for other things.
Some of the most popular file sharing sites to try
Dropbox – Dropbox has a huge following of fans and it’s not difficult to see why once you get started. New users are offered 2GB of free storage, and with the option to share individual files or entire folders with others, access them from your computer when you’re offline or from the internet on the go, Dropbox makes it very convenient to store your most important digital files in the cloud.
Google Drive – If you have a Google account or are a Gmail user already, Google Drive is an easy solution and can help you share and store files quickly. From your Google Drive you can upload documents, choose other people to share them with using their email address, and even create and store your own files – like Word and Excel documents – from another computer by working online. This is a great option if you’re frequently on the go and using different devices because you can log in and access your files from anywhere.
WeTransfer – Unlike some of the other choices on our list, WeTransfer was created specifically for file sharing. If you simply want to send a file, not store it, this is the option for you. The free service lets users send files up to 2GB at a time and keeps the upload live for 7 days so the other person can access it. There is also a premium option called Plus, an annual membership that gives you access to larger file transfers (up to 5GB) as well as password-protected transfers and additional storage.
iCloud – If you’re an iPhone or iPad user, or have a Mac computer at home, then you can have access to its excellent file-sharing service iCloud. It’s naturally set up to automatically store your files and photos in the cloud and make them available on other devices, so for example if you take a picture using your iPhone, you’ll be able to see it in your photo stream on your Mac computer just moments later. If you are mostly concerned with uploading and sharing files between your own devices, Apple’s offering is one of the most seamless products on the market.
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