Use MEGA Cloud Storage for Encrypted Cloud Storage

MEGA is a cloud storage service that offers online storage with end-to-end AES-128 encryption. If you are concerned about your privacy, you may prefer MEGA Cloud Storage over Google Drive or other popular cloud storage services. With MEGA Cloud Storage, only you have access to your files and whoever you choose to share your files with. MEGA offers up to 20 GB of encrypted cloud storage for free. This wikiHow article teaches you how to sign up for and use MEGA Cloud Storage.

Use MEGA Cloud Storage: Quick Steps

You can create a free account at MEGA.io or in MEGA's mobile app.
Click the plus (+) icon and then select the option to upload a file, folder, or create a new folder.
Click or tap the icon with three dots (⋮) next to a file or folder. Use the options to download, share, or move a file to the Rubbish bin.

Part 1

Part 1 of 8:

Creating an Account

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1
Open the MEGA website. Go to MEGA.io in your computer's web browser. This is the official website for MEGA Cloud Storage.
- Alternatively, you can download the MEGA Cloud Storage app from the Google Play Store on Android or the App Store on iPhone.
2
Click or tab Sign Up. It’s in the upper-right corner of the website or at the bottom of the mobile app.
- Alternatively, you can click the Try MEGA for free button in the middle of the homepage.
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Enter your account details. Fill out the following text boxes:
- First Name: Enter your first name.
- Last Name: Enter your last name.
- Email address: Enter a valid working email address to which you have access.
- Password: Type in a strong password. Warning: If you forget your password, you may lose access to your files.
- Retype Password: Type in the password again to ensure that the two typed passwords match each other.
You must agree to both of these terms. The first checkbox says, "I understand that if I lose my password, I lose my data." The second box says, "I have read and understand MEGA’s terms of service."
It's the red button at the bottom of the page. Doing so creates your MEGA account.
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Verify your account. In order to access your MEGA account, you'll need to verify your email address. Use the following steps to do so:^{[1]
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- Open the inbox for the email address that you typed into the "email address" text box and sign in if necessary.
- Click the MEGA Email Verification Required email from "MEGA".
- Click the red Activate account button in the body of the email.
You’ll need to log in to MEGA once again to verify your account. Enter your email and password, and then click or tap the green button that says "Confirm your account" at the bottom.
You can click one of the paid plans and enter your payment information. If you want to continue with the free option, click Get started for free in the plan at the bottom of the screen.

Part 2

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Creating Folders

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On the website, it’s the white button that says "+ Add" at the top of the page. On mobile, it’s the white button with the plus (+) icon in the lower-right corner. This displays a menu.
You’ll find this in the menu that appears when you tap the Add button.
Type the name that you want to use for your folder into the text box in the pop-up window.
It's at the bottom of the pop-up window. Your folder will appear in the middle of the MEGA window.

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Uploading Files and Folders

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If you want to upload a file or folder into a specific folder that you created, open the folder you want to upload the file to.
On a desktop computer, it’s the white button that says "+ Add" at the top of the page. On mobile, it’s the white button with the plus (+) icon in the lower-right corner. This displays a menu.
If you want to upload individual files, click or tap Upload files. If you want to upload folders with all the files contained, click Upload folder.
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Select a file or folder to upload. Navigate to the location of the file or folder you want to upload. On the mobile app, simply tap it to start the upload. On a desktop computer, click the file or folder you want to upload and click Open.
- To select multiple files at once, hold down either Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) while clicking each file you want to use.

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Change the View Mode

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1
Change the file view mode. To do so, click or tap the icon that resembles three lines and three dots (⋮☰) in the upper-right corner or an icon that resembles a 4x4 grid. Then select one of the options from the drop-down menu. The options are as follows:
- Compact List View: This option displays all uploaded items and folders as a list with tiny thumbnail images.
- List View: This also displays all items and folders as a list, but with larger thumbnails.
- Grid View: This displays all items as tiled thumbnail images.
- Gallery View: This displays all items as large thumbnails. This is useful for images.

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Using the Menu Options

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This displays a pop-out menu with options for that file or folder.
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Use the file or folder options. The menu options may vary between files and folders and different file types. The menu options are as follows:
- Open: This option opens the folder.
- Preview: This displays a full-screen preview of the file.
- Download: This option downloads the folder to your computer or mobile device.
- Share: This option displays a pop-out menu with options for sharing the folder. You can also select Share with Transfer.it to share the file using the Transfer.it service.
- Copy Link: This option copies a link you can use to share files over email or text messages.
- Info: This displays information about the file or folder.
- Rename: This option allows you to change the folder's name.
- Move: This opens a menu in which you can select a different location for the folder.
- Copy: This option copies the folder and its contents. A copied folder can be pasted elsewhere in your MEGA storage.
- Label: Click or tap one of the colored dots below this option to assign a color-coded label to the folder.
- Favorite: This option hearts the folder and adds it to your favorites.
- Rewind: This is a beta feature. This allows you to select a previous time and revert folder changes back to that time.
- Move to Rubbish bin: This option moves the folder to your Rubbish bin.

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Downloading Files and Folders

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1
Click or tap ⋮ next to a file or folder. It’s the icon with three dots. If you are using a desktop computer, hover over the file to get the three dots to appear. On mobile, tap the icon with three dots next to the file or folder you want to download.
- If you're using grid view, make sure you click the file's icon and not the file's name.
- You can select multiple files by holding down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) while clicking each file you want to download. To select multiple files on mobile, tap and hold one file and then tap all the other files you want to select.
2
Click Download or tap Save to device. On a desktop computer, click Download. A pop-out menu will appear with a couple of download options. On a mobile device, tap Save to device. This will instantly save the file or folder to your device.
- On mobile, you may need to select a folder to download to the first time you download a file or folder from MEGA. You can select a permanent location to save files to or select the option to always ask where you want to download the files.
3
Select a download option. In the pop-out menu, click either Standard Download to download the file as-is or Download as ZIP to download the file in a ZIP folder. The file will begin downloading.
- Standard Download will download the file or folder as it is. Download as ZIP will compress the files and download them as a ZIP file. This takes up less space on your computer or mobile device. You will need to unzip the file to access the files within.

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Sharing Files and Folders

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1
Click or tap ⋮ next to a file or folder. It’s the icon with three dots. If you are using a desktop computer, hover over the file to get the three dots to appear. On mobile, tap the icon with three dots next to the file or folder you want to download.
- If you're using grid view, make sure you click the file's icon and not the file's name.
- You can select multiple files by holding down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) while clicking each file you want to download. To select multiple files on mobile, tap and hold one file and then tap all the other files you want to select.
2
Click Share or Share folder. On a desktop computer, this displays a pop-out menu with Sharing options. On mobile devices, this displays the Share menu.
- Alternatively, you can click Copy Link in the pop-out menu to instantly share a link to the file.
3
Select one of the sharing options. On mobile devices, you can tap Copy link to copy a link you can use to share the file or folder over text messages, email, or somewhere else. Alternatively, you can tap an app you want to share the link with. On a desktop computer, a pop-out menu will appear with various share options. Tap one of the following options:
- Share link: This creates a share link you can use to share the file or folder with other people. Click Copy Link to copy the share link. Paste the link anywhere you want to share the file or folder.
- Manage link: After you have created a link, this allows you to change the link settings. Click Link Settings to view the options. You can toggle on the option to send an encryption key separately. If you have a Pro account, you can set an expiration date, or require a password to access the link.
- Send to chat: This option allows you to share the file or folder in the MEGA chat. Click the icon that resembles two speech bubbles in the upper-right corner to access the chat. Here you can chat with other MEGA Cloud Storage users.

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Deleting Files and Folders

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1
Send a file or folder to the Rubbish bin. If you want to remove files from MEGA, you can move them into the Rubbish Bin. Use the following steps to do so:
- Select the file or folder with your mouse cursor on a desktop computer.
- Click or tap the icon with three dots (⋮) next to a file or folder.
- Click or tap Move to Rubbish bin in the resulting drop-down menu.
- Click or tap Move when prompted.
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Empty the Rubbish Bin. Click Rubbish Bin in the menu to the left on a desktop computer, or tap the menu icon with three lines (☰) in the upper-left corner on mobile. Then tap Rubbish bin. On a desktop computer, click Empty Rubbish bin at the top of the page. On Mobile, tap the icon with three dots (⋮) in the upper-right corner of the Rubbish bin. Then tap Empty Rubbish bin.
- To permanently delete an individual file or folder from the Rubbish bin. Open the Rubbish bin. Then click or tap the icon with three dots (⋮) next to the file or folder in the Rubbish bin. Then click or tap Delete permanently.
- To restore a file or folder from the Rubbish bin back to its original location, click or tap the icon with three dots (⋮) next to the file or folder in the Rubbish bin. Then click or tap Restore.
- On free accounts, the Rubbish bin will be automatically deleted after 30 days by default. On paid accounts, you can set when and if you want the Rubbish bin to empty automatically. To change how often the Rubbish bin empties, open the Settings menu. On a desktop computer, it’s under your profile icon in the upper-right corner. On mobile, it’s under the icon with three lines (☰) in the upper-right corner. You can find the options to change your Rubbish bin settings under File Management.^{[2]
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Community Q&A

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Question

When I delete a photo from MEGA, does this also delete the photo from the Dropbox and photo applications?

Mohil Khare

Community Answer

No. If you deleted a photo from MEGA, it won't affect your data on any other application.

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Can I have multiple different users access at the same time?

Mohil Khare

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Due to security considerations, MEGA allows only one user at a time.

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Question

If I delete some photos from my gallery, will they be deleted from Mega storage too?

Mohil Khare

Community Answer

No.

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Warnings

If you lose access to your MEGA account password, you won't be able to recover or reset it without a MEGA reset key. You can download a reset key by opening your MEGA account on a computer, clicking the M icon on the upper-left side of the page, selecting Backup Key in the left-most section of the page, and clicking Save file.

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