# Windows Live Skydrive -> Online Free Storage



## Retired (May 15, 2008)

Want to send large files, like vacation photos and home videos, without worrying about exceeding your friends' e-mail storage space? 

With *SkyDrive*, you get 5 GB of password-protected online storage. That means you can get to your files from wherever you're online, and so can the people you give permission to. You're always in control of who sees what.


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## Retired (Apr 24, 2012)

Skydrive free policy is currently changing, so new accounts will receive 7 gb of free storage compared to the previous 25 free gb.

Additional storage (Manage Storage link) can be purchased for 

$10 per year for 20 more gb
$25 per year for 50 more gb  
$50 per year for 100 more gb

Those who already have a Skydrive account with 25 free gb are being given the opportunity to lock in their 25 free gb when they log in and select the "upgrade".

www.skydrive.com

Full details on the evolution of Skdrive HERE


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## David Baxter PhD (Apr 24, 2012)

Hmmm. Bad move for Skydrive, I think. Dropbox is far easier to use and there's not a lot of difference now in space.


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## David Baxter PhD (May 9, 2012)

*Windows Live Skydrive offering Free Upgrade to pre-existing customers*

I accessed my Skydrive yesterday and saw a notice for a free upgrade back to 25 GB for existing Skydrive customers (i.e., those who had Skydrive prior to lowering the limit to 7GB).

If you have a Skydrive account, you should log in ASAP before they withdraw this offer.


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## Retired (May 12, 2012)

Another offering is Google Drive, offering 5 GB free with a utility that's downloaded to the local computer.  I have not tried this one yet.

Any experience or comments with Google Drive?


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## David Baxter PhD (May 12, 2012)

No but I'll give it a shot. 

I can access both Dropbox and Skydrive from not only my computers but also my iPhone or iPod, which is a bonus for portability. Google Drive shows the iPhone/iPod/iPad app as "coming soon".


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## David Baxter PhD (May 13, 2012)

*Making personal cloud storage for Windows available anywhere with the new SkyDrive*

*Making personal cloud storage for Windows available anywhere with the new SkyDrive* *1*
by Steven Sinofsky 
              Monday, April 23, 2012      

Over the last year we’ve been hard at work building SkyDrive alongside Windows 8, setting out a unique approach  to designing personal cloud storage for billions of people by bringing  together the best aspects of file, app, and device clouds. Meanwhile,  we’ve made our file cloud more accessible with HTML5 and mobile apps, improved integration with Office and 3rd party apps, and built a device cloud for Windows and Windows Phone. 

Today,  we’re excited to take another big step towards our vision by making  SkyDrive far more powerful. There are new storage options, apps that  connect your devices to SkyDrive, and a more powerful device cloud that  lets you “fetch” any file from a Windows PC.  Taken together with access  from popular mobile phones and a browser, you can now take your  SkyDrive with you anywhere, connect it to any app that works with files  and folders, and get all the storage you need—making SkyDrive the most powerful personal cloud storage service available. 

Here’s what’s available for use, starting now:


*SkyDrive for the Windows desktop (preview available now)*.  View and manage your personal SkyDrive directly from Windows Explorer  on Windows 8, Windows 7, and Windows Vista with this new preview app  available in 106 languages worldwide. 
*Fetching files through SkyDrive.com*.  Easily access, browse, and stream files from a remote PC running the  preview app to just about anywhere by simply fetching them via  SkyDrive.com. 
*SkyDrive storage updates*. A new, more  flexible approach to personal cloud storage that allows power users to  get additional paid storage as their needs grow. 
*SkyDrive for other devices*.  We’ve updated the SkyDrive apps on Windows Phone and iOS devices,  bringing better management features and sharing options to those  devices. We’re also releasing a new preview client for Mac OS X Lion,  letting you manage your SkyDrive right from the Finder. 
  You can download the new SkyDrive apps  now, but you might want to take a look at this video first, which gives  you a glimpse of all the things you can do with the new SkyDrive.

*Read more...*

*1* Thanks, Steve, for pointing this out!


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## Retired (May 13, 2012)

According to suggestions in the article, sadly, it might be the end for Windows Live Mesh, the 5GB sych utility currently associated with Skydrive.

I've found this to be a valuable tool to synchronize important among systems, and if it ends, I will be disappointed.


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## David Baxter PhD (May 13, 2012)

But with the new desktop (and mobile) utility for Skydrive, you won't miss any functionality... just transfer them to Skydrive. And, if you act fast, you can still retain the 25 GB Skydrive instead of the slimmed down 7 GB for new sign-ups.


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## Retired (Sep 3, 2012)

Android has arrived August 29, 2012

Access SkyDrive from any Android Smartphone and tablet running Android 2.3+ or later.

Download here

iPad, iOS, and OS X? 

You can now access and edit Office documents stored on SkyDrive from a tablet, including iPad on Safari.

Learn more

Stay creative with the new Office Web Apps Preview

Enjoy free Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote web apps built into SkyDrive. Use familiar Office tools to access your files from anywhere and share them with anyone.

Find out about the latest apps that work with Skydrive


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## David Baxter PhD (Sep 3, 2012)

Yes, I've had the SkyDrive on my iPhone for a good few months now, I think, along with DropBox, Google Drive, and EverNote. Can't say I've used the mobile apps much yet though...


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