I was recently asked by one of my clients how to share large documents. I pointed him in the right direction, and I thought it would be useful to share here too, so I have come up with my "Top 3" free online sharing tools to avoid inbox congestion.
1. Dropbox
Dropbox is a handy sharing tool that can either be accessed online, or downloaded and added to your desktop. Should you want to share photos, or files, (or anything really!) simply create an account at
www.dropbox.com and you're ready to go!
Once you have signed up, there will be on screen, easy to follow instructions on how to install it onto your desktop and you're ready to get sharing. Simply drag and drop your items into the folder (I usually copy and paste so I have a copy at my end saved), and click share. You can then add in the e-mail details of the person you want to share it with and it will appear in their dropbox ready to be accessed. It really is that simple!
The great thing about dropbox too is that users can share items with people that don't have dropbox installed. The user can upload online, and rather than share the folder get the link, which can be copied and pasted into an e-mail to your colleague who can review the files online.
2. Google Drive
Google drive is a great facility. It is part of Google Apps which also provides applications for word documents, spreadsheets and presentations and gives up to 15GB (yes gigabytes!) of storage space for free when you sign up for a gmail e-mail address.
The downside to this is that both parties involved in sharing files need to have a Google drive, otherwise files cannot be accessed. I would encourage anyone to look into Google Apps though. My world has been revolutionised (especially with Google Slides, the presentations program) and for large companies, with lots of employees and lots of remote workers, I see it as an essential tool for a smooth process. Users can not only share and access files, but also comment, amend and review files in real time whilst other users are also working on the same document.
3. We Transfer
For larger files, files that contain a lot of data - usually with large imagery like posters or exhibition stands, We Transfer is the way forward. You can send files of up to 2GB for free! Simply visit the website at
www.wetransfer.com and you're good to go as no signing up is required, which in this day and age is a perk in itself.
Users can upload their file, input the e-mail address of the recipient and hit transfer. You can add a nice message if you like too...
This will then send a notification e-mail to your colleague or client containing a link to the online file which can then be downloaded to their desktop. Files are only live for 10 days and then moved offline, so better to download as soon as possible.
These are by no means the only online sharing facilities, however, they are the ones I use on a regular basis, and are all available free of charge.
All of the above really are time and space savers, all useful for different reasons and all free to use, so what's not to love?
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