Via 4SharedDesktop you can easily manage the files in your 4shared online account. The application gives you almost instant access to the data you have stored on the 4shared high-speed servers. It allows you to organize your stored items in folders, move them around, download them to your computer or upload new ones to your account.

Creating a free 4shared online storage account lets you backup no less than 10GB of data to their servers and grants you access to it whenever you want. The service keeps up with today’s needs, so sharing data with others is present on its feature list. And so is synchronization of the items across multiple computers with the online account.

Installing 4sharedDesktop is a cinch, but some attention is required if you do not want 4shared toolbar to be installed automatically in Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox and have the homepage changed, as well as your default search engine. If you get over this bump, there is nothing to worry about until the end of the installation process.

If you’re not the proud owner of a 4shared account, there is no problem; you can create one via the login screen of the application. All you need for a free account is a valid email address and to type in a password of your choice.

Managing your online data is done through an interface with a striking resemblance to Windows Explorer. It's no coincidence as this pattern ensures that working with it is nothing but an easy job. The folder tree in the left hand part of the application window lets you navigate the directory easily, and upon selecting an item its contents are displayed in the right hand part of the screen.

A third window in the interface is reserved for viewing upload or download activities. It comes with information on the job like size of the file, completion progress, time elapsed since job start and upload/download speed. Management of the tasks is ensured by the context menu options which let you start the process, pause it or move it the job up and down in the list.

Filling up the 10GB of online storage can be done by manually by browsing to the file’s location on the computer, or you can choose the easy drag and drop way. This works for files and folders alike. Folders and sub-folders are created automatically.

Sharing your files with other is easy-peasy and you can restrict access to them by enforcing password protection. Moreover, you can set permissions for shared items and enable file upload to the shared location, different actions (delete, rename, copy/paste) as well as enable them to pop up in the 4shared public search results (this requires up to 48 hours to happen).

Synchronization of the items online across all the computers equipped with 4shared Desktop is done automatically as soon as the application launches. The duration of the operation depends entirely on the amount of data that needs to be uploaded/downloaded.

Sync job can be configured in terms of maximum simultaneous jobs that can be executed, the frequency for checking the online account as well as the action to be taken when files or folders are deleted on the server. Settings for regular upload and download are also available in the Options panel of the app. These refer to speed limitations, time outs, file splitting or default download path.

The service, and the desktop application implicitly, has some limitations as to the size of the items you want to upload and it is currently set to 200MB. Any file larger than this is automatically rejected by the application. On the bright side, there is absolutely no restriction with regards to the amount of data that can be transferred.

Also, there are some penalties for inactivity. 30 days of not logging in is sufficient to get your data and your account erased from the server, according to the service’s FAQ page. This period of time is not exactly ideal especially if you are planning a longer vacation. Extending the period to a couple of months would benefit less active users as well.

4shared Desktop is an easy way to manage the data stored online, and it is pretty flexible, but it does not sport all the features available in the web interface. You do not have access to your account’s settings or to your public profile panel. Its purpose is strictly that of giving you a hand with uploading and downloading data as well as sharing it.

The Good

4shared Desktop stands for a comfortable way to manage the data in your online account. You can view download/upload details, move the items from one folder to another as well as make them available for others to download. You can configure upload/download details such as speed or number of simultaneous jobs.

The application also provides folder synchronization options. Shared folders can be protected with a password and you can set permissions for a set of actions (upload, delete or rename data). Full history of upload, download and synchronization tasks is provided.

The Bad

Synchronization is available both in the account folder tree as well as a separate tab in the application. You do not have full control over the online account through 4shared Desktop.

The Truth

4shared Desktop is straightforward, easy to use and handy tool to help you manage data stored online. It does not give you access to all the features of your free 4shared account but for the purpose of managing online data it works great.






This article is also available in Spanish: Guarda y comparte 10GB de datos en la web