We increasingly save files, documents and photos in the cloud space offered by one of the countless services available, so that we can access the aforementioned with any device and anywhere in the world. If so far we used the cloud service website to manage files, you will be pleased to know that it is possible to integrate cloud services on PC with Windows and Mac, so as to add, synchronize and download all the files we need without having to open each time the website, type your login credentials and download the files. In this guide we will show you how to add the most famous cloud services (ie Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive) directly in the operating system, so as to have a folder synchronized with the cloud to manage as if it were a normal PC folder.
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Add Google Drive on Windows and Mac
The cloud service offered by Google is one of the best out there, because it offers a lot of free space, allows you to view photos saved in the cloud and access files shared with other users in a simple and fast way. To integrate Google Drive into Windows or Mac we just have to install the client and download Google Drive .
We click Download (present under the Personal, Backup and synchronization section ) to download the client, then we start the installation procedure to integrate Google Drive on your computer.
The icon will be positioned on Windows systems in the system bar at the bottom right, as shown in the image below.
On Mac systems instead the program icon will be positioned at the top right, next to the clock icon.
The procedure for accessing files saved on the cloud is identical on both systems: we double-click the Drive icon that appeared in the system bars, then click Start, so we can enter the Google login credentials in our possession .
Enter the credentials, we will only have to choose where to place the synchronized folder managed by the Google Drive client and, after access, wait a few minutes (a few hours if the line is slow and / or we have many large files) to see all the appear files and folders synchronized with the Google cloud. We don't know where to find the Google Drive folder "> Dropbox, which has been the forerunner for all the other services and is still among the most used in the company. The space offered is not much, but it is enough to share files, folders and documents (we can expand the space available by purchasing one of the subscriptions offered by Dropbox).
To integrate Dropbox on a Windows PC or Mac we will need to download its official client, available for download from here -> Dropbox Client . The download will start automatically, with the right installer based on the operating system used; at the end of the download we start the installer and start the installation of the Dropbox client. The client will immediately ask us for the login credentials, as shown in the image below.
Once the credentials are obtained, the client will create the folder to be synchronized on the PC or Mac, automatically placing the icon in the system tray. On Windows the icon will be present at the bottom right, as you can see in the following image.
While on Mac systems the Dropbox icon will be present at the top right, next to the clock icon.
Once logged in we can access the Dropbox folder by clicking on the icon on the system bar or by opening the File Manager and selecting the Dropbox folder.
READ ALSO: Dropbox or Google Drive as a PC disk partition
Add OneDrive on Windows and Mac
OneDrive is the cloud service offered by Microsoft for all its users and integrated into the Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 operating systems.
If we have one of these operating systems, all we have to do is look for the OneDrive icon, usually present in the system bar at the bottom right.
If the icon is not present (perhaps because we have removed it in the past) we can always access the service by looking in the Start OneDrive menu.
We have a PC with Windows 7 "> OneDrive for Windows. We install the client, click on the OneDrive icon that will appear at the bottom right and use Microsoft or Outlook credentials to access the folder synchronized with the cloud.
If instead we have a Mac we can integrate OneDrive using the link here -> OneDrive for Mac . As soon as the Mac Store App opens, we click on Get and then on Install ; the Mac will ask for the Apple ID password to complete the client installation for the cloud service. At the end of the installation, click on the OneDrive icon at the top right and, in the window that appears, enter the Microsoft or Outlook login credentials to synchronize the folder.
READ ALSO: Synchronize and upload folders in Onedrive without moving them
How to integrate other cloud services
The ones we presented are without a doubt the cloud services most used by users, but after the Dropbox boom there are numerous other cloud services that can be used on both Windows and Mac.
To install the clients, just choose the service you like among those in this list:
- Mega
- Box
- Nextcloud
- Seafile
All these services have convenient clients that can be installed on a PC with Windows or on a Mac, so as to always have their own files and folders synchronized.
Finally, a quote for iCloud, Apple's cloud service, explained in the guide on how to use iCloud on Windows, Mac, iPhone and iPad
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