Need to keep important files handy? You don’t necessarily have to shell out 50 bucks for a high-capacity thumb drive. Instead, use Gmail’s free 2.7GB of storage as an off-site backup for the files you need access to. The easiest way is to simply attach your file to an email and shoot it to your Gmail account. Then you can retrieve it at any time just by logging in and running a quick search of your inbox. Of course, Gmail’s 10MB attachment limit means you won’t be able to archive massive documents. But it’s a great way keep your most essential files handy wherever there’s an Internet connection.

To take even greater advantage of Gmail’s free storage space, you’ll need to download a helper app. Firefox users can download Gmail Space from Mozilla’s Firefox Add-ons library, which turns the web browser into an easy-to-use file explorer. The extension lets you drag and drop files directly into Gmail’s storage space, without having to worry about the attachment size limit.

Alternatively, you can download Gmail Drive Shell Extension (free) for more ubiquitous access throughout your Windows PC. Gmail Drive Shell Extension sets up your Gmail storage space as a network drive on your PC, which you can access simply by double-clicking the GMail Drive icon in My Computer and then entering your Gmail username and password. Once you log in, your Gmail storage will act just like any other drive on your PC. It even works with Windows Vista.

The Source: MaximumPC