Transfer PC files to cloud

In the past, people might be used to storing files on local, extra hard drives, external drives, NAS devices, or other storage devices. But recently, more and more people prefer to transfer PC files to cloud so that they can keep their data safe and free up some local storage.

As we all know, storing data on the cloud can prevent them from losing when there is a system crash, hardware failure, or any unexpected thing that occurs on your computer. And after transferring data to cloud, users can delete the original data on local to free up the storage so that the computer can run smoothly.

Mainstream cloud service for PC files

Nowadays, there are many brands of cloud service in the market and most of the cloud services provide users with a certain amount of free storage. Here, we will introduce several high-quality cloud services to you and take them as examples to show you how to transfer PC files to cloud.

☛Dropbox: Founded in 2007, Dropbox often called the godfather of cloud storage. It lets anyone upload and transfer data to the cloud, and share them with anyone. Back up photos, videos, docs, and other files to cloud storage, and access files synced with any of your computers or mobile devices from anywhere. Sign up now for your free Dropbox Plus trial. You’ll get 2TB storage.

☛OneDrive: It is an outstanding online cloud backup service that keeps your photos and files backed up, protected, synced, and accessible on all your devices. This OneDrive app lets you view and share OneDrive files, documents, and photos with friends and family. Plus, you can use the app to automatically back up your phone’s photos and videos. Start with 5 GB of free cloud storage or upgrade to a Microsoft 365 subscription to get 1 TB of storage.

☛Google Drive: It is a safe place for all your files and puts them within reach from any smartphone, tablet, or computer. Files in Drive – like your videos, photos, and documents – are backed up safely so you can’t lose them. Once there, you can easily invite others to view, edit, or leave comments on any of your files or folders. It offers users 15 GB of free storage, and also offers 100 GB, 200 GB, 2 TB, 10 TB, 20 TB, and 30 TB optional paid plans.

☛CBackup: Unlike the cloud storage above, CBackup is a free yet professional cloud backup service for Windows PC that can help you backup PC files to cloud. The cloud that CBackup offers to store your backups is CBackup Cloud and provides you 10 GB free storage space of CBackup Cloud, and you could upgrade CBackup Cloud to 1 TB with cost $4.99/month. Besides, It supports backup files to the mainstream cloud drives, like Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Mega, Box, etc. It's very useful to combine multiple cloud drives into a big backup space if you don't have enough cloud storage on your clouds.

How do I transfer files to the cloud?

Generally, cloud service will offer an official backup or sync program to help users achieve PC cloud transfer quickly and easily. For example, Google released Backup & Sync client for Google Drive users to sync files to cloud, Microsoft provides users with OneDrive client, and Dropbox also has specialized software for Dropbox users. CBackup also has the PC client to let users backup PC to cloud. In the following, you will learn how to move data to cloud storage and how to backup files from the cloud to cloud in case of data loss with CBackup.

Part 1. How to transfer PC files to OneDrive

OneDrive is Microsoft’s cloud storage platform, and it’s fully integrated into Windows 10, making it a great choice for file sharing and cloud backups among your devices. You can move files and folders to and from your OneDrive in a few different ways, but none of them are complicated, and all of them are quick. Here’s how to transfer data to OneDrive on Windows 10.

If you have a few files that need to be uploaded, you can go the OneDrive website and sign in to your account, and then click the “Upload” option to upload your files manually.

Alternatively, you can use the OneDrive client to sync files between a local computer and cloud constantly and automatically. If you're using Windows 10, your computer already has the OneDrive app installed. But If you don't have Windows 10 or Office 2016, download and install the Windows version of the new OneDrive sync app. Now, follow the steps to backup PC files to OneDrive in Windows 10.

1. Press the Windows button on your keyboard, then type "OneDrive" and hit Enter to launch the built-in OneDrive program.

2. After clicking "Get Started" on the window that pops up next, you'll be asked to sign in to your Microsoft account. If you don't already have a Microsoft account, create an account at first.

3. On the “This is your OneDrive folder screen”, select “Next” to accept the default folder location for your OneDrive files. If you want to change the folder location, click “Change location”.

4. Then, You'll be asked to choose the OneDrive files and folders that you would like to sync. Only the ones that you tick will be available offline. Press the “Next” to continue.

5. With OneDrive set up, you can find the "OneDrive" entry in the left pane of the new Windows 10 File Explorer. When you drag and drop the file into this folder, it will be synced to OneDrive automatically.

Part 2. How to transfer PC files to Dropbox

Like OneDrive, Dropbox also provides web version and client program. Similarly, if there are a few files to be uploaded, you can go to the Dropbox website and sign in to your account, and then click the “Upload Files” option to upload your files manually.

Dropbox also has a desktop client for file sync. After installing the client on your computer, Dropbox will create a “Dropbox folder” on your computer, which can be found in File Explorer. You can put files or folders that you want to be synced to Dropbox in the Dropbox folder.

1. Download Dropbox client from its official webpage, install it on your computer and sign in your account to open it.

2. At the next window, click on the link for "Advanced Settings". Here, you can change the local folder where you want to store and sync your Dropbox files.

3. You can also customize the online Dropbox folders that you wish to sync. To do this, click on the button to Change Settings Under Selective Sync and deselect the folders you don't want to sync. Then click on Apply.

4. Next, click on the button to Open My Dropbox. At the Welcome To Dropbox window, click on the Get Started button. Keep clicking Next at each screen. At the final Get Started screen, click on Continue.

5. With Dropbox set up, you can find the "Dropbox" entry in the left pane of the Windows File Explorer. When you drag and drop the file into this folder, it will be synced to Dropbox automatically.

Part 3. How to transfer PC files to Google Drive

Just like OneDrive and Dropbox, Google also provides users with two options for uploading files to Google Drive: web version and desktop upload app. To upload via Google Drive website, you can go to the site and log in to your Google Account. Then, click the “Upload files” option to add files to Google Drive.

To sync files to Google Drive automatically, you can rely on Backup and Sync, which is the desktop sync app for both Google Drive and Google Photos.

1. Download Google Backup and Sync tool and install it on your computer.

2. Sign in your Google Account. Then, you will be given the general introduction of this application.

3. Then, you have to specify which folder(s) you would like to sync to Google Drive. Then, your folder(s) will now sync with your Google Drive.

4. The next will setup synchronization form Google Drive to My Computer. Here, you should decide which folder(s) to be synced to the local computer and where on the local area to save the synced items. Finally, click “START” to start Google Backup and Sync service.

Part 4. How to transfer PC files to CBackup Cloud

The desktop app of CBackup can be downloaded to enjoy the 5GB free cloud storage space, or you could upgrade to CBackup Basic to get 1 TB cloud space ($4.99/month), which is totally enough to backup all your vital PC files. Let's see how to backup files to CBackup Cloud with CBackup.

1. Download and install the CBackup desktop app for free.

2. Create a CBackup account and sign in.

4. Click on the Backup tab and click on the Backup PC to CBackup Cloud button.

5. Select the PC files that you want to backup to CBackup Cloud in the Source section. The CBackup Cloud will be automatically selected, After confirming, click Start Backup.

Bonus Tip: Backup your cloud files in case of loss

Though cloud storage is regarded as a safe place for data, you are also suggested to backup your files in cloud. If you store your important files on only one cloud storage, chances are that you may lose your data for any unexpected things. To save your effort and local storage space, you are recommended to do cloud to cloud backup with CBackup.

Besides, the desktop app can help you backup files between cloud storage directly with flexible backup settings like Scheduled Backup and File Filter. It supports multiple cloud storage like OneDrive, Dropbox, OneDrive, etc. Now, add your cloud storage accounts on its platform to backup files from cloud to cloud easily and quickly.

1. Just go to CBackup desktop app, and sign in your account.

2. Click the “Storage” tab, select your clouds, and click “Authorize Now”. Then grant authority to CBackup and allow CBackup to access your cloud files.

3. Click on “Backup” tab on the left, then, click “Backup Public Cloud to Public Cloud” button.

4. Name your backup task, select a cloud as backup source, and choose another cloud as the target. Now, click “Start Backup” in the lower right corner to execute the backup task.

✎Note: Under “Settings”, you can enjoy “File Filter”, set automatic backup with "Schedule", and enable “Email Notification” to get email alert after the backup finished. 

Final words

To transfer PC files to cloud, you can follow the simple steps above. And besides OneDrive, Google Drive, and Dropbox, there are many other brands of cloud storage and you can choose one according to your needs. If you are using the cloud storage supported by CBackup, don’t forget to backup your cloud files to another cloud with CBackup.