Best Ways to Access Your PC Files From Anywhere

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Are you old enough to recall the embarrassment of leaving your homework behind at home and having to make excuses at school? If so, you are already keenly aware of the importance of being able to have easy retrieval of essential documents. In the modern and highly digitized arenas of work, entertainment, and potentially world-spanning opportunities, being unable to access vital information promptly can lead to lost clients and missed prospects and harm your professional reputation. Whether you need to gain access swiftly and efficiently to your business presentation, resume, curriculum vitae, artist’s portfolio, and other files, several services allow you to access your PC files from anywhere. Learn more about which remote access services will best suit your needs. 

Be Careful with Remote Access; If You Can Access Remotely, So Can Others 

Although the convenience of being to access files on your PC from anywhere cannot be denied, it is essential to be mindful of your surroundings and never leave your devices unattended. A simple failure to log out of your account can lead to a massive security breach, let alone your smartphone or laptop being stolen or compromised by malware. You should look for remote access services that offer multi-factor authentication to prevent accounts from being breached, are compatible with your devices and operating systems of choice and offer the ability to share files across various apps and platforms.   

Dropbox 

As one of the older file sharing and storage services on the market, Dropbox has developed a reputation for providing users with a secure and reliable means of accessing their files remotely. In addition to accessing your files via the Dropbox website, PC app, or mobile app, users can also scan documents directly to their private data vault. Dropbox users can also share their files agnostically across a wide variety of software and app options available without fear of incompatibility.  

So long as you have a device that can connect to the internet and access a conventional web browser, you can view and share your files at your discretion. Users also enjoy several robust security features, including a PIN-protected vault for your files, the ability to save and use digital signatures, expiring links, download permissions, password protection, and password management utilities.  

Google Drive 

 If you are the proud owner of a Google Gmail account and are not taking advantage of the ability to share and access files remotely through Google Drive, you are really missing out on a simple and effective tool that is already at your disposal. Users of basic accounts have access to an impressive 15GB of free file storage (although paid upgrades are available) and the advantage of having any file you store on Drive protected by encryption while being both stored and shared.  

 Since Google incorporates several industry-standard tools to prevent intrusion from malware, viruses, spam, phishing, and other cybercrimes, you can use your Google Drive with the knowledge that your data will remain protected. If you decide to switch remote access services for whatever reason or simply want to create a backup for redundancy, Drive also offers the Download Your Data service to easily copy your entire library of files, including bookmarks, emails, photos and more. It is worth noting that Google Drive cannot scan some file types, and there is a limit of 100MB per file being scanned. 

 Slack 

 Although many people regard Slack as most helpful in facilitating communication between coworkers, the app also possesses impressive file sharing and remote access capabilities. While you can use Slack on your smartphone or other internet-capable device, PC users can use the simple drag-and-drop feature of this service to transfer files quickly and easily from your PC to your digital folders. With a decent internet connection, the entire process of accessing your files takes only seconds and sharing materials with your customers or colleagues is quick and easy. 

 Slack also offers an impressive number of security features to help prevent your files from finding their way into the wrong hands. These features include the ability to block users from uploading files either in direct messages or channels, sending your files under encryption that only you hold the keys to, being able to prevent access to files as needed, and more. 

WeTransfer 

 If you need access to files larger than 1GB, you might run into some difficulties when it comes to easily scanning or uploading such a large amount of data. Although WeTransfer is perhaps not as well-known as the previous examples of remote file access programs, you would be hard-pressed to find another service that will allow you to send a file as large as 2GB for free. 

 Your files will also enjoy the benefits of professional-level encryption standards, including AES-256 and TLS (Transport Layer Security), multi-factor authentication of secure logins, and the ability to set custom expiration for files with any transfers automatically expiring seven days after being sent. You can also enjoy 5GB of storage with a free user account which includes storage for links, photos, videos, and music, as well as access to WeTransfer’s Paste presentation tool and the ability to create up to three decks. These decks can be adjusted in terms of layout, responsive colors, and alignment, although it should be noted that free accounts will be unable to remove the default Paste logo. 

Free and low-cost options to store and retrieve your files online are readily available. Choose the one that best meets your needs to ensure that you will never have to say "the dog ate my homework" again.