Introduction
Every cloud platform tries to sell you more storage, whether you need it or not.
But what if you could combine all your free cloud accounts into one massive virtual drive — without paying a single rupee?
That’s the idea behind what I call the Unlimited Storage Glitch.
It’s not a real “hack,” but a clever use of an open-source tool called rclone, which lets you connect multiple Google Drives, Dropbox, OneDrive, Mega, and more into one big drive.
Let’s break it down step by step — even if you’ve never used rclone before.
Step 1: Install rclone
rclone is a powerful command-line tool that can talk to almost every major cloud platform — including Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Mega, Box, pCloud, and others.
Download and install it from the official site:
https://rclone.org/downloads/
Once installed, open your Terminal (Linux/macOS) or PowerShell (Windows) and verify:
rclone version
If you see version info, you’re ready.
Step 2: Connect Your Cloud Accounts (Remotes)
In rclone, every connection to a cloud platform is called a remote.
You can add one for each account you have — for example, multiple Google Drives or different cloud providers.
Start by running:
rclone config
Then:
Choose n for New Remote.
Give it a name (e.g., gdrive1, dropbox1, onedrive1).
Choose the storage type (drive, dropbox, onedrive, etc.).
Follow the instructions to authorize access — rclone will open a browser window to log in.
Repeat this for every cloud account you want to add.
Tip: Use short names like g1, g2, o1, etc., so it’s easier to type later.
Step 3: Check Your Connected Remotes
Once connected, you can verify them with:
rclone listremotes
Example output:
gdrive1:
gdrive2:
dropbox1:
onedrive1:
mega1:
Each line represents one linked cloud storage account.
Step 4: Understanding rclone Union
Now comes the interesting part.
A union remote is like a “meta drive” that merges multiple remotes into one.
You can read from all of them at once, and rclone can automatically decide where to upload new files (for example, to the drive with the most free space).
Think of it as stitching multiple clouds together so they act like one.
You can include remotes from different providers — Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Mega — all in the same union.
Step 5: Create the Union Remote
Open rclone config again:
rclone config
Choose:
n → New remote
Name it (e.g., union1)
Set storage type → union
When asked for upstreams, enter your remote names separated by spaces:
gdrive1: gdrive2: dropbox1: onedrive1: mega1:
Then configure the policies:
create_policy = epmfs
action_policy = all
search_policy = ff
What they mean:
create_policy = epmfs: Uploads to the drive with the most free space.
action_policy = all: Deletions and renames happen across all drives.
search_policy = ff: Finds the first matching file when reading.
Save and exit.
You’ve just created your own multi-cloud virtual drive.
Step 6: Test Your Union
Check the total combined size:
rclone size union1: –human-readable
You should now see the total storage space from all your drives combined.
Each cloud’s quota still applies individually, but now they act as one seamless unit.
Step 7: Using the Union Like Real Storage
You can now use this combined storage locally or expose it to applications.
Option A — Mount as a Local Folder
rclone mount union1: ~/UnifiedCloud –vfs-cache-mode full
This makes the union appear as a normal folder where you can drag and drop files.
Option B — Serve as an S3 Bucket
For apps like Nextcloud, Immich, or Jellyfin, you can serve the union as an S3-compatible endpoint:
rclone serve s3 union1: –addr :9000 –auth-key ACCESS_KEY,SECRET_KEY –vfs-cache-mode full
Now your apps can access it like a single cloud bucket.
Step 8: Expanding Later
You can always add new remotes to the same union as your space fills up.
Either run:
rclone config
and edit the union remote,
or open the configuration file directly (rclone.conf) and update the line:
upstreams = gdrive1: gdrive2: onedrive1: newdropbox:
Save it, and your new drive is part of the pool.
Step 9: Important Notes
The union only works while rclone is running — it’s not hosted in the cloud itself.
If you’re using it on a laptop, the system must stay powered on and online for access.
For 24/7 use (e.g., a media or photo server), host it on a VPS or home server.
Each cloud still enforces its own 15 GB or provider limit, but the union makes managing them effortless.
Step 10: The Bigger Picture
Remember Interstellar — when Cooper talks about looking up at the stars?
Now you’ll look up at your connected drives, realizing you’ve just created a virtual galaxy of storage.
It’s not about cheating the system — it’s about using technology smartly.
rclone union is open-source magic that makes cloud limits feel irrelevant.
Conclusion
You’ve just learned how to:
Connect multiple cloud accounts from different providers
Combine them into one virtual storage drive
Expand your space anytime by simply adding more remotes
Whether you’re a developer, photographer, or digital hoarder, this setup gives you scalable, free storage powered by your own creativity.
The next time someone says, “I ran out of space,”
you can just smile and say:
“There’s always room in the union.”
TL;DR
Install rclone
Connect multiple cloud accounts as remotes
Create a union remote combining them
Mount or serve the union as one big storage
Add new remotes anytime for more space