How to Move Files Between Cloud Storage Services Without Downloading

Last updated: July 2026 · 5 min read

Most people who use cloud storage end up with files scattered across multiple services — Google Drive for work, Dropbox for personal projects, OneDrive because it came with Office, S3 for backups. Moving files between them is a common need with no obvious solution beyond the manual download-and-reupload loop.

This guide covers how to move files between cloud storage providers directly, without downloading anything to your computer.

The problem with manual transfers

The traditional method — download from cloud A, upload to cloud B — works but has real limitations:

• Storage required: You need free disk space equal to the size of what you're moving
• Time: Large folders can take hours, and you need to stay connected throughout
• Reliability: Any internet interruption or computer sleep can break the transfer midway
• Scale: For recurring transfers (like keeping two cloud folders in sync) this approach doesn't scale

Cloud-to-cloud transfers: how they work

A direct cloud-to-cloud transfer tool like TERA acts as a bridge between your storage accounts. Instead of routing files through your computer, it connects to both clouds and moves the data directly. Your machine only needs to start the transfer — it doesn't need to stay on.

Supported cloud providers

Any combination works — Google Drive to Dropbox, Dropbox to OneDrive, S3 to Box, and so on.

How to transfer files between clouds

1. Create a free account at mytera.app
2. Go to Integrations and connect the cloud accounts you want to use
3. Open the Cloud Explorer — it shows two panels side by side
4. Set each panel to a different cloud provider and navigate to your files
5. Select what you want to transfer and drag it across, or use the transfer button
6. TERA handles the rest — files, folders and subfolders are all copied over

Scheduled sync between cloud providers

If you need to keep two cloud folders in sync on a recurring basis, TERA has a scheduled tasks feature. You define a source folder and a destination folder, set a schedule (daily, weekly, or custom), and TERA automatically transfers any new or modified files on that schedule.

This is useful for things like automatically backing up a Google Drive folder to S3, or keeping a Dropbox project folder in sync with a client's OneDrive.

Free vs paid

TERA has a free plan that supports files up to 100MB and 7 days of transfer history. For larger files or longer history, paid plans are available. For most occasional use cases, the free plan is enough to get started.