Upload Files to Cloud Storage from Android

To upload local files to cloud storage from Android, connect your cloud account (Google Drive, iCloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, MEGA, Box, Yandex Disk, or pCloud) in AnExplorer, then copy files from local storage and paste them into your cloud destination. AnExplorer handles the upload in the background and supports batch operations — select entire folders and upload them in a single operation across any supported cloud provider.

Supported Cloud Services

AnExplorer integrates with these cloud storage providers:

You can connect multiple accounts of the same service or different services simultaneously. AnExplorer manages them all from one interface.

Connecting Your Cloud Account

First-Time Setup

1. Open AnExplorer
2. Navigate to Network or Cloud section (in sidebar or menu)
3. Tap + or Add Cloud Connection
4. Select your cloud provider from the list
5. A browser window opens for authentication:
   • Sign in with your cloud account credentials
   • Authorize AnExplorer to access your files
   • The browser redirects back to AnExplorer
6. Your cloud account now appears in the network/cloud list

Authentication Notes

• Google Drive: Uses standard Google OAuth — sign in with your Google account
• Dropbox: Redirects to Dropbox website for authorization
• OneDrive: Uses Microsoft account login
• MEGA: Requires your MEGA email and password directly (E2E encrypted)
• Box: Uses Box OAuth login page
• pCloud: Uses pCloud credentials
• Yandex Disk: Uses Yandex account OAuth

Each connection saves your credentials securely so you do not need to re-authenticate each time.

Uploading Files

Basic Upload: Copy and Paste

1. Select source files: Navigate to local storage → long-press files/folders to select → tap Copy
2. Navigate to cloud: Open your cloud connection from the sidebar → navigate to the target folder
3. Paste: Tap Paste — upload begins

Batch Upload

Upload multiple files or entire folders at once:

1. Use multi-select (long-press first file, then tap others to add to selection)
2. Select entire folders for recursive upload (all subfolders and files included)
3. Copy the selection
4. Navigate to your cloud destination
5. Paste — all files queue for upload

Upload Progress

• A notification shows overall upload progress
• Individual file progress may be shown within AnExplorer
• Keep AnExplorer running (or at least not force-stopped)
• Upload speed depends on your internet upload bandwidth

Organizing Cloud Storage

Create Folder Structure First

Before uploading, create an organized structure in your cloud:

1. Navigate to your cloud connection in AnExplorer
2. Create folders for different purposes:
   • Phone Backup/Photos/ — camera photos
   • Phone Backup/Videos/ — video recordings
   • Phone Backup/Documents/ — important documents
   • Phone Backup/WhatsApp/ — WhatsApp media backup
   • Archives/ — old files you rarely access
3. Upload files into the appropriate folders

Naming Conventions

For easy retrieval later:

• Include dates in folder names: Photos 2024-01/, Photos 2024-02/
• Keep original filenames (camera photos have date-stamped names: IMG_20240115_143022.jpg)
• Avoid special characters in folder names (some cloud services have restrictions)

Transfer Between Cloud Services

AnExplorer can move files between different cloud providers:

1. Open your source cloud (e.g., Google Drive)
2. Select files → Copy
3. Navigate to your destination cloud (e.g., Dropbox)
4. Paste

Important: Cloud-to-cloud transfers go through your phone:

• Files download from source cloud → stored temporarily on phone → upload to destination cloud
• You need free local storage equal to the transfer size (as temporary buffer)
• Speed is limited by the slower of your download/upload speeds
• This is useful for migrating between services or creating redundant backups

Upload Speed Expectations

Upload speed depends on your internet connection's upload bandwidth (not download):

Tips for faster uploads:

• Use 5 GHz WiFi (higher bandwidth than 2.4 GHz)
• Upload during off-peak hours (less network congestion)
• Stay close to your WiFi router
• Close other apps using bandwidth

Managing Cloud Files

Once files are in the cloud, you can manage them from AnExplorer:

Browse Cloud Contents

• Navigate your cloud storage exactly like local folders
• View photos, play videos (streams from cloud), open documents

Download from Cloud to Phone

• Select cloud files → Copy → Navigate to local storage → Paste
• Useful for accessing cloud files offline

Rename and Move in Cloud

• Long-press files in cloud → Rename or Move
• Organize your cloud without downloading files first

Delete from Cloud

• Long-press → Delete removes files from the cloud
• Most services move to trash first (recoverable for 30 days)
• This does NOT affect local copies if you still have them

Offline Access and Sync

Important distinction: AnExplorer provides access to cloud storage, not sync:

• Access: Browse and transfer files on-demand. Files are not automatically kept in sync.
• Sync: The cloud provider's own app (Google Drive app, Dropbox app, etc.) can sync specific folders automatically.

For automatic backup/sync, use the cloud provider's dedicated app alongside AnExplorer. Use AnExplorer when you need:

• Manual uploads of specific files
• Transfers between cloud services
• Bulk uploads that the cloud app does not support well
• Managing cloud files from a single unified interface

Best Practices

Before Major Uploads

1. Connect to WiFi: Avoid using mobile data for large uploads (data costs and speed)
2. Check free space in cloud: Ensure your cloud account has sufficient free storage
3. Charge your phone: Large uploads are CPU and radio intensive — ensure battery is above 50%
4. Disable battery optimization for AnExplorer: Prevents Android from killing the upload process
5. Keep screen on or use a notification wakelcock: Some uploads pause when the screen turns off

For Important Files

• Upload to at least two different cloud services for redundancy
• Verify uploads completed by browsing the cloud destination afterward
• Keep local copies until you have confirmed the cloud upload
• Use services with file versioning (Google Drive, Dropbox) for documents you edit frequently

Storage Management

• After confirming cloud upload, delete local copies to free phone storage
• Move rarely-accessed files to cloud; keep frequently-used files local
• Use cloud storage for large media (videos, photo archives) and local for documents and apps

Troubleshooting

Upload fails or stalls

1. Check internet connection — switch between WiFi and mobile data to test
2. Verify cloud storage has free space (account not full)
3. Check if the file exceeds the cloud service's size limit
4. Disable battery optimization for AnExplorer
5. Try uploading a small test file first — if that works, the issue is size/bandwidth related

"Authentication failed" when connecting cloud

1. Re-authorize the connection (remove and re-add the cloud account in AnExplorer)
2. Ensure your cloud account password has not changed
3. Check if two-factor authentication is blocking access (may need an app-specific password)
4. Verify the cloud service is not experiencing downtime

Files uploaded but not visible in cloud

1. Check the correct folder — files may have been uploaded to root instead of your intended subfolder
2. Refresh the cloud view (pull down or navigate out and back)
3. Log in to the cloud service's web interface to verify files are there
4. Some services delay showing newly uploaded files for a few seconds

Upload is extremely slow

1. Run a speed test to check your internet upload speed
2. Upload during off-peak hours
3. Move closer to WiFi router
4. Try a different network
5. Consider that some ISPs throttle cloud storage uploads

Related Guides

• Free Space Without Deleting — use cloud to free local storage
• Backup Phone to NAS — NAS as local cloud alternative
• Manage WhatsApp Media — back up WhatsApp to cloud
• Storage Full — comprehensive storage recovery including cloud offload