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SkyDrive-on-Nokia-Lumia-925

With powerful smartphones, such as the Nokia Lumia 1020 and the Nokia Lumia 925, comes the need for reliable storage. Every Nokia Lumia smartphone comes with 7GB of free storage via SkyDrive so you’ve always got access to your files, even if you change your device.

SkyDrive is exactly as the name suggests; it’s like a hard drive that’s stored in ‘the cloud‘.

There are a few ways to access SkyDrive through your phone. One is to make use of SkyDrive’s tight integration with the Windows Phone 8 OS. Whenever you look at a photo, a video, or any other file for that matter, you’ll notice the option to share or upload to SkyDrive.

The other two options are to download the standalone SkyDrive app, or to use the phone’s browser to access SkyDrive.

SktDrive app

SkyDrive browser

All give you access to SkyDrive, but the first option is just the easiest and quickest option of the three. However, with the SkyDrive app you can view files that people have shared with you via SkyDrive – something you can’t do with the built-in client.

One of the many useful features of Windows Phone 8 is the ability to automatically upload any photos or videos that you take to your SkyDrive account. Having this option turned on really gives you peace-of-mind that you’ll never lose another precious moment again.

By default it’s turned off, but to turn it on just head to the applications list, and then:

Photos > … > settings > auto upload > SkyDrive > turn on

Auto upload photos to SkyDrive

Manual save photos to SkyDrive

With a number of upload options available you can choose the upload quality which then informs you of the data connection you’ll use to connect, which is particularly useful if you want to upload photos or videos you’ve taken with the Nokia Lumia 1020 and its 41-megapixel camera.

For example, if you want to upload a video in best quality, you’ll need to connect with Wi-Fi. As a precautionary measure if you’re not connected to a Wi-Fi network your file won’t upload, which is good news for your data plan.

Photos and videos aside, when you’re signed into SkyDrive on your Nokia Lumia, any Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or OneNote document you create using Microsoft Office Mobile can automatically be saved to your SkyDrive.

This means that not only is SkyDrive great for saving personal moments you’ve captured from your camera, but it can also help you be more productive in your work life, too.

As we mentioned earlier, SkyDrive can be accessed from the Web and not just your phone’s browser.

If you’re at work and need to leave the office but haven’t yet finished that monthly spreadsheet, upload it from your PC to SkyDrive and continue working on it on your Lumia on the commute home. Alternatively, log into SkyDrive on your home PC and pick up where you left off.

SkyDrive-on-Xbox

There’s also a SkyDrive app for Xbox.

No matter where you are, SkyDrive opens the door to all of your important files in life, right from your Nokia Lumia.

While 7GB is plenty for most people, there is the ability to upgrade your SkyDrive account to include additional storage – up to 100GB extra is available as part of a subscription service.

Are you a SkyDrive user? What do you use it for? We’d like to know, so tell us in the comments section below.