Do this now with your Amazon storage so you don’t lose everything

November 7, 2022

By Kim Komando

Next year, the Amazon Drive shutdown could wipe away your photos, files and other important documents. On the bright side, Amazon Prime users have time to take action. The company will permanently stop supporting Amazon Drive on Dec. 31, 2023.

This means you have time to find a suitable alternative. Amazon says it’s cutting off Drive to “more fully focus” on Amazon Photos, a secure cloud storage app specifically for photos and videos. If you relied on Drive for its ability to support different types of files, it’s time to find another cloud storage option.

Luckily, we have a few suggestions. Tap or click here for some of the best ways to organize your cloud storage files. Or you can scroll down for a quick guide on what to do.

Save your files from the Amazon Drive shutdown

Although you have time to take action, we don’t recommend dilly-dallying. You now have 5GB of free storage space through Amazon Drive. You have much to lose if you’ve already used up most of that space.

Far-off deadlines like this come with pros and cons. On the bright side, you have time to act. On the other hand, you might put off this task for so long that the deadline surprises you.

In July, Amazon announced that you have until Dec. 31, 2023, to save your stored files. After that, you will no longer have access to your files through the Amazon Drive app. Amazon will automatically transfer photos and videos to Amazon Photos. But you need to download other files manually.

Although next December seems far away, Amazon is already taking action — and so should you. The company removed the Amazon Drive apps from the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store on Oct. 31, 2022.

The good news is there are a few good alternatives worth checking out. After downloading all of your Amazon Drive files onto your computer, try one of these cloud storage solutions.

If you have an Android, Google Drive is a no-brainer

Google Drive is much more popular than Amazon Drive. It’s more secure and it offers 15GB of free storage space. That’s 10GB more than Amazon Drive. You can use it globally, it gives you more control over the permissions and its affordability makes it much more universal.

Plus, it’s easy to use. You can access Google Drive once you make a Google account. Follow these steps to transfer files from Amazon Drive to Google Drive:

1. First, sign into your Google account on a web browser.
2. Then, go to drive.google.com.
3. In the top-left corner, select New.
4. Click File Upload or Folder Upload.

From there, you can transfer files from your computer to Google Drive. Tap or click here for 15 clever Google Drive tricks to make your life easier.

As we said, you get 15GB of storage space for free. If that isn’t enough, you can pay for a higher-tiered plan. For $1.99 monthly, you get 100GB of storage. For 200GB, it’ll cost $2.99 monthly and 2TB costs $9.99 monthly.

iCloud is an intuitive cloud storage choice for Apple lovers

Maybe you have an iPhone, iPad or Mac. You already have an Apple ID. Just like Amazon Drive, iCloud offers 5GB of free storage. It’s popular, versatile and easy to use.

Here’s how to transfer files from Amazon Drive to iCloud:

1. First, open your web browser on a computer and go to iCloud.com.
2. Sign in with your Apple ID.
3. Then, drag files and folders into iCloud. You can also click the iCloud icon to select files and folders from your PC.

As we said, you get 5GB of free storage with iCloud. You’ll have to pay a monthly fee if you need more space. It costs 99 cents for 50GB, $2.99 for 200GB and $9.99 for 2TB.

Apple’s iCloud service is integrated across its devices and gives you easy access to your files anywhere. Now that you know how to set it up on a computer, you may wonder about your other Apple devices.

We’ve got you covered. Tap or click here to set up iCloud on your iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Apple Watch.

Find a permanent solution to the Amazon Drive shutdown with iDrive

Both of the options above offer free storage. But if you need more storage space, they come with complicated subscription fees and payment tiers, which can change anytime.

Instead, choose a reliable cloud storage solution Kim trusts. No surprises or random shutdowns. We recommend IDrive, our sponsor. It protects you from fickle company changes like Amazon’s decision to drop Drive.

IDrive lets you back up all your devices, whether you have a Mac, PC, Android, iPad or iPhone, and you can conveniently manage your backups through a single online account.

Save a whopping 90% when you sign up at IDrive.com and use the promo code “Kim” at checkout.

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.