Ready to try Proton Drive? 6 tips for using this security-first cloud storage service

Most people use cloud services. While some of us use those services every day, others use them sporadically, and others don’t even realize they’re using a service. Ultimately, it’s about keeping your files safe and accessible from anywhere.

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A cloud storage service that you may just know about now is Proton drive. The important thing about Proton Drive is that it takes security very seriously. Proton Drive’s end-to-end security capabilities are impressive.

For example, large files are split into 4 MB blocks, where each block is hash-signed to prevent deletion or reordering. When a file is opened, file transfer and decoding algorithms ensure the file is quickly reconstructed in the correct order. This process keeps those larger files safe from anyone other than you.

But is Proton Drive easy to use? Correct. It differs from Google Drive in some important ways, but almost immediately after logging in, you’ll know what you’re doing. Even so, here are some tips to help you get the most out of the service.

1. You can move your files and folders from Google Drive

There is a tool called Google Takeout lets you download anything from Drive. To use it, you simply open the website in your default browser, uncheck everything but Google Drive, click “Next step”, choose the file type to export (as well as frequency and destination), then that comes out. Once the export is complete, you can upload those folders and files to Proton Drive. You will want to unzip the file before uploading it to Proton as it does not have the ability to decompress compressed files. In fact, you can’t even upload a .zip file to Proton Drive.

2. It doesn’t do spreadsheets

The first thing you need to know going into this is that while Proton Drive has a superior cloud storage system, it is limited in the applications it offers.

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For example, you’ll see the ability to create documents but not spreadsheets or presentations. Even if you upload a spreadsheet to Proton Drive, there’s no way to open it or even preview it. There’s no indication that Proton Drive will add spreadsheets or presentations into the mix, so you’ll need to figure that out. If you’re just handling documents, the Proton Drive will serve you well.

3. Start with the right folder hierarchy

Just like when you first start with Google Drive, One Drive or iCloud, Proton Drive is a blank slate at first. It can be tempting to upload a lot of files to your Drive, but before you do that, I highly recommend you start off right by creating specific folders to store your data.

Depending on your needs, you can create master folders by year, by subject, by customer, or whatever. It’s important that you start your journey with Proton Drive with a bit of organisation.

I’ve faced plenty of cases where someone haphazardly jumped into a cloud storage service and ended up with a mess on their hands. Chaos and cloud storage are not good things, so make sure you start by creating some basic folders to store your data.

4. Get familiar with the user interface

Proton has done a pretty good job of imitating Google Drive. The first time you log in, you will feel right at home. However, there are some differences. For example, there’s a bit of redundancy in the user interface. If you select a file, a new toolbar automatically appears in the upper right corner where you can preview the file, open the file in Docs, download the file, share the file, move the file, rename the file , view file information, and delete files.

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You can find those same features in the file drop-down menu that appears when you click the three-dot button at the bottom right of the file pane. Then there’s the apps menu in the top right corner of the left sidebar, where you can access other apps in the Proton ecosystem (Mail, Calendar, VPN, Pass, and Wallet). The Proton Drive user interface should be easy to navigate for most people.

5. Don’t let the Docs interface scare you

When you create your first document in Proton Docs, you might think it’s missing something. For example, there are no rulers or borders in the document, it just looks like a floating toolbar with your formatting elements.

If you click the file name drop-down menu in the upper left corner, you’ll find another menu that includes tools like printing, word count, version history, download files (as .docx, .html , .txt, markdown and PDF), and more. Finally, the Proton Docs user interface is quite minimalist so there’s nothing getting in your way of writing content. Personally, I like Proton Drive’s document UI, but again, I like a minimalist look so things don’t get too cluttered.

6. Its editing tools are limited

Currently, Proton Docs has a limited number of editing tools. For example, you can add comments to the document but make no changes to the music. There is a version history tool but you have to know how to access it. Although there is access to version history from within the document, that access point is inactive. To use version history, you must access version history from the file drop-down menu in Proton Drive.

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The good news is that the version history tool is really good and even allows you to open different versions by the minute. For example, if you modified a file at 8:17 AM but need to reverse it to the 8:16 version, you can do that. While it would be nice to add tracking changes to the mix, a version history tool helps take care of that missing piece.

If you’re looking to move to Proton Drive, know that the journey won’t be too difficult. However, it’s important to know what you’re doing before you start; otherwise, you may find the Proton Drive lacks some features you depend on, or the user interface is a bit too sparse.