What Is Cloud Storage Anyway, and Is It Safe?

Online digital lockers are a useful resource when your devices are running out of room

Edward C. Baig,

AARP

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Published December 09, 2025

AARP (Getty Images)

AARP members and readers are invited to submit pressing technology questions they’d like me to tackle in my Tech Guru column, including issues around devices, security, social media and how all the puzzle pieces fit together.

We’ve received several queries related to cloud computing, a topic that continues to mystify some older adults. The question below sums up some of the confusion.

I love using the cloud for some of my personal computing needs. But I am confused on how to only use one cloud service. My laptop has Microsoft OneDrive and Google Drive, and my Android phone has both of those, plus Samsung Cloud. My wife subscribes to Microsoft 365, and I use Excel on that, which I am pretty sure syncs with OneDrive. Can you help decipher the basics of cloud computing? —Matt S.

Matt, your situation is not uncommon, and as you’ve hinted above, it is easy to get lost in the computing clouds. Many of us own computers, smartphones and tablets from different brands or sign up for accounts on rival platforms. Each may have close links to a competing cloud computing service.

For the uninitiated, think of the cloud simply as the internet, and cloud services as generally easy-to-access online lockers. With adequate space, you can store documents, pictures, videos and other file types, and download or share them as needed.

Why store your stuff in the cloud?

From a consumer perspective, cloud storage typically serves two purposes: You may choose to stash files on these remote servers as a secure backup for the data stored “locally” on your computer or handset’s hard drive or solid-state drive (SSD), and/or a thumb drive or other external storage device.

Cloud storage also protects your files from power surges, PC viruses, corrupted hardware and other mishaps that can infect physical storage devices. Frankly, it isn’t a bad idea to hedge your bets and lean on cloud storage and physical drives.

The other chief reason for embracing cloud storage: Your local drives are packed to the rafters, and you frankly need that extra space.

Free, but not enough

Ask the Tech Guru

When you purchase new hardware or sign up for various online accounts, you are usually issued a relatively modest amount of cloud storage for free, an allotment that could be fine if all you’re storing are text documents, even tens of thousands of them.

However, the capacity may not be sufficient if you want to store especially bloated files, such as high-resolution photos and home movies. When you approach the designated storage limits, you may start receiving notifications to upgrade to a fee-based plan.

A quick survey of some common options

If you sign up for Microsoft 365, you get 5 gigabytes (GB) of OneDrive cloud storage gratis, which you can use on Windows, macOS, iOS and Android, and across multiple devices at the same time. A step-up $9.99 monthly plan gives you 1 terabyte (TB).

Apple’s iCloud also comes with 5GB of free storage, which you can raise to 50GB for 99 cents per month, 200GB for $2.99 or 2TB for $10.99.

All Google Accounts include 15GB of storage per month at no cost, or you can pay $2.99 per month for 200GB or $9.99 for 2TB.

Dropbox gives you 2GB for free, with a 2TB monthly option for $9.99 and 3TB for $16.58.

All of the above have even higher-tier pricing options, with family or professional sharing plans also available.

Some folks intentionally spread their use of cloud services across multiple providers to avoid incurring extra storage costs. But this can get messy; it may become difficult to keep track of which files are where. Consolidating on one or two services seems to make a lot more sense, and since this is the internet, virtually all cloud services are available to you.

Benefits of online storage

I already mentioned one key reason you’d want to store files in the cloud: as a backup in case your internal storage devices crash or suffer permanent damage. It’s also a smart option when you’re running out of local storage.

There are other advantages. When your documents or other files are online, you can pretty much access them on any device from anywhere, provided you have an internet connection. Moreover, with fast broadband speeds, you can typically fetch those files without much of a wait.

Files hosted online are often easy to share and collaborate on as well; you can provide links rather than email something that’s huge.

Another benefit: Depending on how you set things up, you can snap pictures on your smartphone that are automatically backed up to the cloud right after you take them.

There are downsides, too

If you lack internet, one of the downsides is being unable to access a file you suddenly need that doesn’t reside on your local device. What’s more, the cost of sharing files across multiple cloud services can add up.

I must also say that no digital storage solution is bulletproof; data breaches make headlines all too often. That disclaimer aside, the most popular cloud services are considered secure. If you’re unsure about a cloud service, investigate what encryption or other security measures are in place to maintain your privacy and protect your most valuable digital resources.

Bonus tip: Netflix will no longer let you cast or mirror content from phones to most TVs

It’s not just you if you’d been casting Netflix content from your phone to the big screen and now suddenly can’t. Netflix has quietly removed casting, or the ability to wirelessly transfer its shows and movies from your mobile device to your television. Casting is also sometimes called “mirroring” what’s on the phone. Instead, you’ll have to sign in to Netflix and navigate the service with the remote control that came with your TV or TV streaming device. The Android Authority web outlet was first to report the change, which Netflix confirmed on one of its Help pages.

Netflix is making an exception for people with certain older Google Chromecast devices that lack remote controls, but only for Netflix subscribers who are on an expensive ad-free plan, which starts at $17.99 per month.

Google discontinued the Chromecast line in the summer of 2024, replacing it with a pricier $99.99 device called the Google TV Streamer.

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Edward C. Baig covers technology and other consumer topics. He previously worked for USA Today, BusinessWeek, U.S. News & World Report and Fortune, and is author of Macs for Dummies and coauthor of iPhone for Dummies and iPad for Dummies. Follow him on LinkedIn; Threads; and X, formerly known as Twitter.