You can do a lot of things with an Amazon Prime account: get the latest video game delivered overnight, watch a nail-biting thriller on Prime Video or read free e-books from the Kindle library.
However, did you know that your Amazon account also comes with free cloud storage through Amazon Drive? If you’re ready to take advantage of this awesome service, then check out this article for everything you need to know!
What Is Amazon Drive In [currentyear]?
Amazon Drive, formerly called Amazon Cloud Drive, is a cloud storage application. In addition to offering cloud storage, the program also offers file backup, file sharing and photo printing as of [currentyear]. It also comes with free unlimited photo storage for Amazon Prime subscribers and Fire Tablet owners. Paid limited storage service is also available.
If you’re ready to use Amazon Drive, then this article is all you need to get started, so keep reading below to learn more useful facts!
How Does Amazon Drive Work?
Like Google Drive and Dropbox, Amazon Drive is a cloud storage service that allows you to transfer and manage files across multiple devices like web browsers, desktop applications, smartphones and tablets.
Below we’ve gone into more detail about what you can expect when accessing Amazon Drive from different devices.
1. Web
Amazon Drive is accessible through the Amazon website via web browsers like Edge, Firefox, Safari and Google Chrome.
Through the website, users can create folders to organize their files, rename files and move files. They can also view and play photos and videos.
2. Desktop
Amazon Drive is also available as a desktop app for both Mac and Windows and is designed as a drop panel, which allows users to drag and drop files to start an upload.
This app also supports a one-touch button for downloading all files from the cloud, should they need to be restored.
A desktop is a good option if you plan to upload files larger than 2GB because files of this size can only be uploaded through the desktop and not on the mobile app.
Files and folders can also be paused or canceled while a bulk upload is in progress.
3. Mobile
Amazon Drive is available as a smartphone and tablet app on iOS and Android devices, and this version of the app is identical to the web version.
Amazon’s Fire devices, including the Kindle Fire and the Fire Phone, come with free unlimited photo storage that automatically backs up photos to Amazon Drive.
How Do I Use Amazon Drive?
To use Amazon Drive, You’ll first need to open an Amazon account, as this is the only way to log in to Drive.
Your Amazon Drive account gives you 5GB, which can be used for storing documents, ZIP files, photos, videos, and more.
There are many ways to access your Amazon Drive dashboard, including on your desktop browser, through Amazon’s desktop app, on your mobile devices via the iOS and Android apps, or through your Fire device.
Choose your desired device, enter your login credentials and get ready to start using Drive.
To upload files, look for the blue ‘Upload’ button on the left-hand side of the screen. You’ll be asked which folder you want to upload to or you can create a new folder.
To access uploaded files, go to the folder where they’re stored, double click on the folder, and find what you’re looking for. This is also where you can download files to your device or share them with others.
Amazon’s Share menu gives you the option to copy a link to the file that you can email, text, or post on social media.
How Much Storage Do You Get on Amazon Drive?
Every Amazon customer, regardless of whether they’re a Prime subscriber or not, gets 5GB of free storage with Amazon Photos.
This allows you to save, organize, share and access your files across multiple devices including desktop, mobile, and tablet.
Prime subscribers get unlimited photo storage but are still limited to 5GB for videos and other file types. If you need more storage, Amazon offers a variety of paid plans.
Is Amazon Drive Free for Prime Members?
Some features of Amazon Drive are free for Prime members, while others are paid options.
Amazon Prime members benefit from unlimited, full-resolution photo storage. They also get 5GB of storage space for other file types for free.
Prime members must pay for additional video storage if they have more than 5GB of content to upload.
How Much Does Amazon Drive Cost?
All Amazon customers get 5GB of storage for free, which can be used for photos or videos.
Prime customers get unlimited photo storage for free, but if you need additional storage capacity, Amazon has a number of plans available depending on how much space you need.
Here are some storage plans and their prices:
- 100 GB – Amazon’s most popular plan allows you to store about 50,000 photos at 2MB or 14 hours of 1080p HD video. It costs $1.99 per month or $19.99 per year.
- 1 TB – This plan is Amazon’s best value. With it you can store about 500,000 photos at 2MB or 140 hours of 1080p HD video. It costs $6.99 per month or $59.99 per year.
- 2 TB – This plan gives you space to store about 1,000,000 photos at 2MB or 280 hours of 1080p HD video. It costs $11.99 per month or $119.98 per year.
In addition to these popular plans, Amazon offers larger plans that give you storage between 4-30 TB.
What Is the Difference Between Amazon Photos and Amazon Drive?
Amazon Photos and Amazon Drive are similar, in that they’re both cloud storage services, but they offer different features. Let’s take a look at how these services differ.
| Amazon Photos | Amazon Drive | |
| Overview | Secure cloud storage service for photos and videos. | Secure cloud storage for most common file types. |
| Function | Upload, download, view, edit and create albums. Share photos and videos. | Upload, download, preview and share files (including, but not limited to, photos and videos). |
| Supported Platforms & Devices | Web browser, desktop app, iOS app, Android app, Fire devices | Web browser, desktop app, iOS app, Android app, Fire devices |
| Principal Features | Photo and video storage, gallery, sharing, photo editor. | File storage, sharing and preview. |
| Supported File Types | Most common photos and video file types include JPEG and MP4. | Most common file types such as PDF. DOCX, ZIP, JPEG, PNG and MP4. |
| Storage | 5GB of free storage for all Amazon customers. This storage can be used to store photos, videos or files on either Amazon Photos or Amazon Drive.
Prime customers get unlimited photo storage in addition to 5GB of free storage for videos or other file types. |
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How Do I Download Files From Amazon Drive?
Downloading files from Amazon Drive couldn’t be easier. Here are the steps to follow:
- Log in to your Amazon Drive account.
- Select the All Files tab in the header at the top of the page.
- Select the file(s) or folder(s) you want to download. Keep in mind that you can’t select more than 1,000 items at a time or more than 5GB. If you select multiple files or folders the items will be downloaded as a ZIP file.
- Click Download.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete your download.
Does Amazon Drive Automatically Sync?
Syncing local files with Amazon Drive is possible, but it’s not nearly as easy as it is with other cloud storage programs like Google Drive and Dropbox.
In fact, there is still no Amazon Drive Backup and Sync application available for Windows. Amazon does, however, offer an Amazon Photos backup app for Windows and Mac.
This app allows you to sync not just photos and videos, but also other file types on your computer. Follow the steps below to cloud sync Amazon Drive on Mac or Windows:
- Download the Amazon Photos app onto your computer.
- After installing the app, log in to your Amazon account.
- Open the Amazon Photos interface and click the Settings icon in the top right corner to go to Preferences.
- Under the Sync tab, choose Enable Sync. Afterward, the Amazon Photos app will restart and you’ll see an Amazon Drive shortcut you can use to sync files.
- When you want to sync a file, Amazon Photos will ask you to choose which Amazon Drive folder you want to save the synced files to. Select Local Sync Folder, then press Start Sync.
If you are looking to learn more, you can also see our posts on whether or not Amazon Prime charges tax, what is Amazon Photos, and what is Amazon FreeTime.
Conclusion
Amazon Drive may not be as popular as Google Drive or Dropbox, and it’s lacking some basic features that other cloud storage services offer, but you can’t beat 5GB of free storage.
Because of that, we feel confident recommending Amazon Drive as a solid starter option for your cloud storage needs.
