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Free cloud storage you can get in the UK
Looking to back up your laptop, or running out of storage space on your phone? Cloud storage could be the ideal solution. And the good news is that many cloud storage services are available for free.
In this guide, we’ll run through your options for free cloud storage for photos, documents and more. We’ll even throw in a few tips on the best options for students, and for those needing a little more storage space for larger files such as videos.
So, let’s get started.
Why use cloud storage?
Cloud storage lets you free up space on your devices, by keeping all of your files securely on an online server. You can access and view them online, using any device where you’re signed into your account with your chosen storage provider.
It’s also a great solution for backing up your files. You can usually set up automatic backups, where a copy of your photos and files is instantly saved in the cloud. So if something happens to your computer or phone, you won’t lose all your files.
One of the best things about cloud storage is that it's international. You can access your photos and files from anywhere in the world, as long as you have an internet connection.
If you live an international life and love the convenience of doing things online, check out the Wise multi-currency account.
Free cloud storage: your options
Many providers offer free cloud storage in the UK, although you might find that storage space can be a little limited on free plans. If you want more, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan.
Here are a few of the most popular options:
Google Drive¹
If you have a Google account, you’ll get 15GB of free online storage through Google Drive. However, this allowance is spread across Google Photos, Google Drive and Gmail. If you want more space, plans start from £1.59 a month for 100GB.
You can access Google Drive through your browser, computer desktop and both Android and iOS devices.
OneDrive¹
OneDrive from Microsoft offers 5GB of free cloud storage per user. If you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, you’ll get a huge 1TB - 6TB of free space.
You’ll need to have an Outlook.com email account to use OneDrive, but this is also free to set up. For more space, you can expect to pay £1.99 a month for 100GB.
Access to your OneDrive files is via your PC (Windows), OS X, iOS, Android or Blackberry device.
Dropbox¹
A popular, user-friendly option for online storage, Dropbox offers 2GB of space for free. However, you can boost this to a maximum of 16GB by referring other people to sign up with Dropbox. If you need more, the paid plan is £7.99 a month for 2TB.
You can access Dropbox through your browser, Windows or MacOS PC, iOS or Android, Windows Phone or Blackberry device.
Amazon Drive¹
If you have an Amazon account, you can get 5GB of free cloud storage for photos, videos, documents and music. Amazon Prime members get unlimited storage for photos, plus 5GB for everything else. To upgrade, it costs from £17 a year for 100GB.
Amazon Drive can be accessed via your browser, Android and iOS devices.
BT Cloud¹
If you’re a BT broadband customer, you can get between 10GB and 1000GB of free online storage space. It all depends on your broadband package, and you can find out your allowance by logging into your BT account.
Need more space? It costs £3 a month for an extra 50GB. Access to your files is via iOS, Android, Windows Phone, MacOS and Windows.
Box¹
While it caters mainly to businesses, Box also offers personal plans - including a free option. This gives you 10GB of free cloud storage, although there’s an individual file size limit of 250MB. If you need more space, you can pay £4 a month for 100GB (max. file size of 2GB).
Box can be accessed via iOS, Android, Blackberry and Windows Phone apps, or via a Windows or MacOS desktop app.
Apple iCloud¹
Lastly, there’s Apple iCloud for iPhone and iPad users. This gives you 5GB of free online storage, with extra available for £0.79 a month for 50GB. Apple iCloud is integrated with iOs and OS X, plus Windows. It’s also easy to set up automatic data backups on your Apple device.
Online storage space compared
To help you choose the right option for you, here’s an at-a-glance look at the free storage space on offer with each provider:
| Provider | Free storage space¹ |
|---|---|
| Google Drive | 15GB |
| OneDrive | 5GB |
| Dropbox | 2GB |
| Amazon Drive | 5GB |
| BT Cloud | 10GB - 1000GB depending on package |
| Box | 10GB |
| Apple iCloud | 5GB |
Free cloud storage for students
If you’re currently studying, you’re likely to need a lot of storage for both your course-related and personal files. And you’ll ideally need it for free.
All of the options above are suitable for students, but there’s also a way you can get even more free cloud storage. OneDrive offers a huge 1TB of free storage for students² (everyone else only gets 5GB).
All you need is an academic email address, which you can enter on the Microsoft Office website. You’ll log in through your university or college’s online portal, then follow the instructions to get the boosted OneDrive storage.
You can also see if your university or college uses Google Apps for Education. This offers unlimited storage space on Google Drive for students³.
Best free cloud storage for video
Many of the options we’ve looked at so far aren’t so good if you need storage for larger files, such as video. If you’re uploading even a few high-quality videos to the cloud, you’ll quickly use up your free allowance.
The good news is that there is an alternative available, and it’s free. If you have a Yahoo account (which is free to get) you can store up to 1,000 videos for free on Flickr. The photo hosting site lets you upload videos of any resolution, and photos too¹.
If you want unlimited storage, you can sign up for Flickr Pro for £5.99 a month¹.
Sources used:
- MoneySavingExpert - Free Online Storage
- MoneySavingExpert - Free Office Software
- ITPro - Google Drive to Give Unlimited Cloud Storage to Students
Sources last checked on date: 10-Oct-2022
*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.
This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.
We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.
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