airlivedrive.com

Install Air Live Drive, add your cloud account, and connect it as a disk; the account then appears in Windows Explorer or macOS Finder as its own drive letter or volume, and you open and save files there with any application. This works for the 40+ services the site lists, including Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, SharePoint, S3, WebDAV, and FTP/SFTP. No bulk sync is required: files stay in the cloud and are fetched when you open them.

Before you start

• A Windows or macOS computer.
• The login credentials for the cloud account you want to mount (for services like S3 or WebDAV, the endpoint and access details your provider gives you).
• The free version is enough to try the workflow; the site says no credit card is needed and the Pro version adds unlimited drives and advanced features. Check the Pro page for current terms.

Mount the account

1. Install and open Air Live Drive. Use the Windows or Mac download from the site.
2. Add a cloud account. Choose your provider from the supported list and sign in or enter the connection details. Each account you add becomes its own disk.
3. Connect the disk. After the account is added, connect it so it mounts as a local drive.
4. Start working. Open Explorer or Finder and use the new drive like any local disk.

The site describes this as the whole flow: add account → connect disk → work in Explorer or Finder.

Verify it worked

• The cloud account shows up as a separate drive in Explorer or Finder.
• You can open a file directly from that drive in an app such as Word, Photoshop, or VLC.
• Saving the file writes back to the cloud rather than creating a local copy.
• Nothing was downloaded in bulk; local disk usage stays low.

What to expect in daily use

Right-click context menus in Explorer or Finder let you share links, open files in the browser, or stream video, per the site.

Common snags

• A provider asks for extra details. Infrastructure services like S3, Azure Blob, WebDAV, or SFTP need endpoint and credential information rather than a simple sign-in; have it ready before adding the account.
• Large files feel slow on first open. That is the trade-off of streaming instead of syncing. Turn on caching if you reopen the same files often.
• You need many drives. The free version is for trying it out; unlimited drives are listed as a Pro feature.
• Uploads seem pending. Background uploads continue while you work; check the app's upload activity rather than assuming the save failed.

If your goal is occasional access to cloud files without filling your disk, the mount-and-stream approach fits. If you need full offline copies of everything, a sync client is the better tool.

Air Live Drive mounts each cloud account as its own local disk in Windows Explorer or Finder, and opens files directly from the cloud when you use them instead of copying your library down first. That makes it a fit for people with limited disk space or very large cloud libraries who want to work in ordinary desktop apps without maintaining a full local mirror. It is not a backup tool and not a sync client, so it suits on-demand access rather than offline-first work.

The core difference: mount vs. sync

A sync client keeps a local copy of your cloud files and reconciles changes in both directions. Air Live Drive does the opposite: your files stay in the cloud, and the mounted disk is a live view of them.

The site states this directly: files "stay in the cloud and are opened only when you use them, so nothing is copied in bulk to your PC."

What that changes in practice

No sync queue and no duplicate copies

With a sync client, edits queue up and a second copy of the file exists on your disk. With a mounted drive there is one authoritative copy in the cloud. You open a file, edit it, and save it back — the application talks to the remote file. This removes the "which version is current" problem that sync conflicts create, at the cost of needing a connection at the moment you open or save.

Local cache is a setting, not a side effect

On Windows you decide how much local cache to keep. Caching speeds up repeated access to the same files, which matters on slow connections, but it is a performance layer you control rather than an unavoidable full download. On macOS the same on-demand model applies; the site's FAQ notes the Windows cache-size choice specifically, so treat cache tuning as a Windows-side control.

Any application can use the files

Because the cloud appears as a disk, Word, Photoshop, VLC and similar apps open remote files as if they were local. The site also mentions Explorer/Finder context-menu actions for sharing links, opening files in the browser, and streaming video.

When this approach fits — and when it doesn't

Choose mounting when:

• Your cloud library is much larger than your free disk space.
• You work mostly online and want files available without a sync setup.
• You use several providers — the site lists Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, S3, SharePoint, WebDAV, FTP/SFTP and 40+ services, each account appearing as its own disk.
• You want background uploads so saving doesn't block your work.

Stay with a sync client when:

• You regularly work offline and need guaranteed local copies.
• You want a local mirror as a de facto backup.
• Your workflow depends on files being present on disk at all times (some build tools, media pipelines, or indexing software).

A practical middle ground: mount the large or rarely edited accounts, and sync only the small folder you need offline.

Getting started

1. Install and open Air Live Drive.
2. Add a cloud account.
3. Connect it as a disk.
4. Work in Windows Explorer or Finder as usual.

The free version is offered with no sign-up and no data limits; Pro adds unlimited drives and advanced features. Check the Pro Version page for current terms before relying on a specific limit.

Common sticking points

• Slow first open on large files — the file streams from the cloud, so the first access depends on your connection; caching helps on repeat access.
• Saving while offline — since files aren't stored locally by default, plan offline work around synced folders or cached files.
• Expecting backup — a mounted drive is not a backup; deletions propagate to the cloud.

Air Live Drive can mount more than 40 cloud services as local disks on Windows and macOS, covering personal storage, business suites, and infrastructure/object storage. According to the vendor's supported-clouds list, this includes OneDrive (personal, Business, and China), Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, iCloud, Mega, pCloud, Nextcloud, SharePoint Online, Amazon S3, Azure Blob Storage, WebDAV, and FTP/SFTP. Each account you add appears as its own separate disk in Windows Explorer or Finder, so you can mount several providers side by side.

Supported services by category

The list below reflects the providers named on the Air Live Drive site. Availability of a specific service may depend on your plan and platform, so confirm against the in-app "add account" list before relying on one.

Personal and consumer clouds

If your files live in a mainstream consumer service, the odds are good it is covered. Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Box, iCloud, Mega, and pCloud are all on the list, along with regional providers such as Yandex, Naver, Mail.ru, and Nutstore. This matters if you keep photos in iCloud, documents in Google Drive, and archives in Mega: each becomes a separate drive letter rather than a folder you have to sync.

Business and collaboration platforms

Business users can mount OneDrive for Business, SharePoint Online (including the China variants), and Nextcloud. For teams standardized on Microsoft 365, this means SharePoint document libraries can be opened directly in desktop applications without a local sync client duplicating the content.

Infrastructure and object storage

S3-compatible and object storage endpoints are supported: Amazon S3/AWS S3, Wasabi, Azure Blob Storage, Alibaba Cloud, Huawei, IDrive e2, and Backblaze. This is the category most likely to need extra configuration, because object storage typically requires endpoint URLs and access keys rather than a simple username/password login.

Protocol-based storage

WebDAV, FTP, FTPS, and SFTP are supported for servers that don't belong to a named cloud brand — for example a self-hosted NAS or a WebDAV share. If your storage exposes one of these protocols, you can mount it even though it isn't a commercial cloud.

What "mounting" means for multi-cloud setups

Air Live Drive does not sync or bulk-download your files. Files stay in the cloud and are opened only when you use them, so nothing is copied wholesale to your PC. On Windows you control how much local cache to keep, which speeds up repeated access on slow connections.

A practical example: a user with a Google Drive account for personal documents, a OneDrive for Business account for work, and an S3 bucket for project archives can add all three and see three separate disks in Explorer. Opening a Word file from the SharePoint drive and a video from the S3 drive works the same way as opening local files — the applications don't need to know the file is remote.

How to check whether your service is supported

1. Install and open Air Live Drive (the free version is available without a credit card).
2. Choose to add a cloud account and review the provider list shown in the app.
3. Select your provider and enter the credentials or endpoint details it requests.
4. Connect the disk and confirm it appears in Explorer or Finder.

If your provider isn't listed by name but offers WebDAV, FTP, FTPS, or SFTP access, you can usually mount it through the protocol option instead.

Points to confirm before committing

• Plan limits: the free version is offered for trial; the Pro version is positioned for unlimited drives and advanced features. Check the Pro Version page for current terms rather than assuming a specific limit.
• Platform differences: the site lists Windows and macOS support, but cache behavior differs — Windows lets you choose how much local cache to keep, while the macOS description is less specific in the available material.
• Authentication type: object storage and protocol-based mounts need endpoint and key details, not just a login, so gather those from your provider first.
• Service changes: provider APIs change over time; verify your specific service in the app rather than relying solely on a published list.

Air Live Drive is a cloud drive mapper for Windows and macOS that mounts cloud storage accounts as local disks. Instead of syncing files to your computer, it streams them from the cloud on demand, so you can open, edit, and save remote files with any application—Word, Photoshop, VLC, and others—without duplicating gigabytes locally. It supports Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, S3, and 40+ other services, with each account appearing as its own disk in Windows Explorer or Finder.

How Air Live Drive works

The core mechanism is on-demand streaming rather than synchronization. Your files stay in the cloud; Air Live Drive presents them through a virtual disk that Windows or macOS treats like a physical drive. When an application requests a file, the data is fetched from the cloud at that moment.

The setup follows four steps:

1. Install and open Air Live Drive.
2. Add a cloud account.
3. Connect the disk.
4. Start working in Explorer or Finder.

Because there is no sync queue, there are no duplicate copies and no waiting for a full download before you can access a file. This is the key difference from traditional sync clients, which mirror your entire cloud library to local storage.

What "no sync" means in practice

With a sync client, a 500 GB cloud drive typically consumes up to 500 GB of local disk (or requires selective sync to avoid that). With Air Live Drive, the same account appears as a disk without bulk copying. Files are opened only when used. On Windows, you decide how much local cache to keep—caching is optional and mainly speeds up repeated access, which helps on slow connections.

Supported clouds

Air Live Drive covers personal, business, and infrastructure storage, and every account can become its own drive:

The full list also includes regional services such as Yandex, Naver, Mail.ru, Nutstore, and Jottacloud. If you work across several providers, each account gets its own drive letter or mount point, so you can keep them separate rather than merging them into one folder.

Who it is for

Air Live Drive is aimed at users who want cloud files available to desktop applications without local duplication:

• Large cloud libraries on small disks. If your laptop has limited SSD space but your cloud storage is large, mounting avoids the sync-everything problem.
• Multi-cloud workflows. Analysts or teams juggling Google Drive, OneDrive, and an S3 bucket can access all three as separate disks.
• Applications without cloud integration. Desktop tools that only understand file paths—video players, editors, legacy software—can open cloud files directly through the mounted disk.
• Infrastructure storage access. S3, Azure Blob, and similar object stores become browsable drives rather than requiring command-line tools.

It is less suitable if you need guaranteed offline access to your full library, since files are fetched on demand and depend on a network connection.

Power-user features

Beyond basic mounting, the tool includes options for tuning performance and integrating with the operating system:

• Optional local cache to accelerate repeated file access, including on slow connections.
• Background uploads, so you can keep working while changes are sent to the cloud.
• Native context-menu integration in Windows Explorer and Finder, for sharing links, opening files in the browser, or streaming video.

Free version and Pro

A free version is available with no sign-up and no data limits, and the site states no credit card is needed to try it. Pro adds unlimited drives and advanced features. Pricing details are published on the Pro Version page and the store checkout links; check those pages for current terms before purchasing.

Quick evaluation checklist

Before committing, confirm:

1. Your cloud provider appears on the supported list (or is reachable via WebDAV/FTP/SFTP).
2. Your workflow tolerates on-demand access rather than full offline copies.
3. You know whether the free tier's drive limit fits your number of accounts, or whether Pro is needed.
4. On Windows, decide your cache size based on disk space and connection speed.

If those conditions hold, Air Live Drive replaces sync-based cloud clients with a mounted-disk model that keeps files in the cloud and your local disk free.

Air Live Drive's free version is enough to test the core idea — mounting a cloud account as a local disk and working with remote files without syncing — while the Pro version is aimed at people who need more than a trial setup: unlimited drives and advanced features. The site describes the free download as requiring no sign-up, no credit card and no data limits, and positions Pro as the step up for unlimited drives and advanced features. If you only want to confirm that your cloud service works and that opening files directly from Explorer or Finder fits your workflow, start free. If you plan to run several accounts or disks side by side, compare Pro before you build a routine around the free tier.

What the free version covers

Based on the product page, the free download lets you:

• Mount a cloud account as its own local disk in Windows Explorer or Finder.
• Open, edit and save files directly with applications such as Word, Photoshop or VLC, without a full sync.
• Stream files from the cloud instead of duplicating them locally.
• Connect accounts from the supported services list, which includes Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, S3 and 40+ other providers.

The page states the free version needs no credit card, so the practical way to evaluate it is to install it, add one account and check that your normal file operations behave as expected.

What Pro adds

The site's own summary of the difference is short: Pro provides unlimited drives and advanced features. The page also points to a separate Pro Version page and a purchase link, but the feature-by-feature breakdown lives there rather than in the main page text, so check that page for the current list before buying.

Two things are worth separating when you compare:

Who should upgrade

Upgrade makes sense if any of these describe you:

• You keep several cloud accounts open at once. Each account appears as its own disk, so a multi-cloud setup is exactly where a drive limit bites.
• You want cloud storage to behave like extra local disks permanently, not as an experiment you uninstall after a week.
• You rely on the power-user options the page lists — optional local cache for faster repeated access, background uploads, and Explorer/Finder context-menu actions such as sharing links or streaming video.

Stay on the free version if you mainly want to check compatibility with one provider, or if your work fits inside a single mounted disk.

How to decide without guessing

1. Download the free version for Windows or macOS from the site.
2. Add the cloud account you actually use day to day.
3. Connect it as a disk and do real work for a few days: open a large file, save an edit, play a video, upload something in the background.
4. Count how many separate accounts or disks you would want mounted at the same time. If the answer is more than the free tier allows, or you find yourself missing caching and background upload behavior, move to the Pro page and check the current feature list and price there.

The main caveat: the main page does not spell out the exact free-tier drive limit or the full Pro feature matrix, and it does not state pricing. Treat "unlimited drives and advanced features" as the site's summary and confirm specifics on the Pro Version page before purchase.