You probably know that B2 is Backblaze’s fast and economical general purpose cloud storage, but do you know everything that you can do with it?
If you’re a B2 newbie, here are some blazing power tips to help you get the most out of B2 Cloud Storage.
We have some expert power tips for you, too.
1 Drag and Drop Files to B2
Use Backblaze’s drag-and-drop web interface to store, restore, and share B2 files.
2 Share Files You Have in B2
You can designate a B2 bucket as private or public. If the bucket is public and you’d like to share a file with others, you can create and copy a Friendly URL and paste it into an email or message.
3 Use B2 Just Like Any Other Drive
Use B2 just as if it were a drive on your computer — drag and drop files and folders, save files to it — using one of a number of integrations that let you mount B2 as a volume in your Windows or Macintosh file system (Mountain Duck, ExpanDrive, odrive). Pick the files you want to save, drop them in a desktop folder, and they are automatically saved to B2. See B2 on Your Desktop — Cloud Storage Made Easy.
4 Drag and Drop To and From B2 from the Desktop, Too
Use Cyberduck, a B2 integration partner, to drag-and-drop files to and from B2 right from the Windows or Macintosh desktop.
5 Determine the Speed of your Connection to B2
You can check the speed and latency of your internet connection between your location and Backblaze’s data centers, and see how much data you could theoretically transfer in a day, at https://www.backblaze.com/speedtest/.
6 No Matter What Type of Data you Have, B2 Can Handle It
You can transfer any type or amount of data to B2 from any device that can connect to the internet, including Windows, Macintosh, Linux, servers, mobile devices, external drives, and NAS.
7 Get Your Files from B2 by Mail
You have a choice of how to receive your data from B2. You can download data directly or request that your data be shipped to you via FedEx.
8 Back Up Your Backups to B2
You can automatically back up your Apple Time Machine backup or Windows backup to a NAS and then back that up to B2 to give you both local and cloud backups for a 3-2-1 backup solution.
9 Protect Your B2 Account with Two-Factor Verification
You can (and should) protect your Backblaze account with two-factor verification (such as using an app on your smartphone), and you can use backup codes and SMS verification in case you lose access to your smartphone.
10 Preview Photos Stored on B2 from the Web
Preview your photos as thumbnails (and optionally download individual photos) in common image formats (including jpg, png, img, tiff, and gif) with the B2 web interface.
11 B2 Has Group Management, Too
Backblaze Groups works for B2, too — just like Backblaze Personal Backup and Business Backup. You can manage billing, group membership, and control access using Group Management in your Backblaze account dashboard.
12 B2 Integrations Make B2 More Powerful and Useful
There are over 30+ software and hardware integrations that make B2 more powerful. You can visit our integrations page to find a solution that works for you.
Want to Learn More About B2?
You can find more information on B2 on our website and in our help pages.
