How to Use Amazon Cloud Drive Like an External Hard Drive

Access the online storage service without a web browser

By
Mark Harris
Mark Harris
Writer
  • University of Wolverhampton
Mark Harris is a former writer for Lifewire who wrote about the digital music scene and streaming music services in an easy to understand, no-nonsense manner.
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Updated on June 13, 2020

What to Know


Online storage services like Amazon Cloud Drive are a good way to upload music or other files in bulk, but most require a web browser to access them. In this guide, we show you how to turn Amazon Cloud Drive into an external hard disk using free software called Gladinet Cloud Desktop.

Connected devices Internet of Things (IoT) cloud computing data network
Rick_Jo / Getty Images

How to Set Up Gladinet Free Starter Edition

If Gladinet Cloud Desktop isn't installed, download the free Starter Edition from the official website. It's compatible with Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 2003/2008. Then, follow these steps to add Amazon Cloud Drive:

Gladinet also supports other cloud storage services such as Box.net, SkyDrive, Google Docs, and more.

  1. When you run Gladinet for the first time after installation, choose I want to use the Free Starter Edition and select Next.

    The "free starter edition" option and Next button

  2. Register with Gladinet if you want. Otherwise, select Next.

  3. Select Add My Cloud Storage Account to add cloud storage services.

    The "Add My Cloud Storage Account" button

  4. Open the Storage Service drop-down menu and choose Amazon Cloud Drive. Then, select Next.

    The Amazon Cloud Drive option

  5. Type your Amazon security credentials in the username and password fields. Select Next to continue.

    Enter your username and password to link your cloud service with Gladinet

  6. Unless you're going to upgrade to the paid-for Gladinet Pro version, clear the Enable Cloud Sync Folder for the Virtual Directory check box. Select Finish > Finish.

    Uncheck the Enable box, and then click Finish

How to Use Amazon Cloud Drive Like a Hard Disk

After completing the above steps, you should see a window on your desktop called My Gladinet Drive. You can use this to access your Amazon Cloud Drive space directly. To start using your storage, double-click its icon just like you would any other folder in Windows.

If you want to add more online storage services supported by Gladinet (for example, Box.net, SkyDrive, or Google Docs), double-click the Click to Mount [cloud storage] link and repeat the above steps.

Transferring files to your online storage space using Gladinet is virtually the same as dragging and dropping in Windows. The only difference is a progress window appears when uploading folders and files. If you need to interrupt an upload session, select the Cancel button.

To access the Gladinet main menu screen, right-click the Gladinet icon in the Windows system tray and choose Management Console. On this screen, you can see the virtual directories you set up. Click the double-arrow to the far right of Amazon Cloud Drive to display its configuration options.

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