Access iCloud

This article teaches you how to view, store, and access your files and data in iCloud, which is Apple's cloud-based app and storage solution. Anyone with an Apple ID automatically gets 5 GB of free storage on iCloud.

Steps

Accessing iCloud on the Web

1. Go to the iCloud website. Do so from any browser, including computers running Windows or Chromebooks.
2. Enter your Apple ID and password.
3. Click on ➲. It's on the right side of the password field.
   • If you have Two-Factor Authentication enabled, click on or tap Allow on another device and enter the 6-digit verification code you receive in the spaces in the browser window.
4. Access your data. The iCloud web apps allow you to access or work with any of the data you've stored or synced with iCloud.
   • Only data and files that you sync or store on iCloud will be available on iCloud.
   • iCloud backups of your iPhone, iPad, or desktop to iCloud are not accessible. Rather, they are only used to restore your settings and data to your device.
5. Click on Photos. Doing so allows you to Access-Photos-on-iCloud the photos shared across your iCloud devices.
   • Click on Albums to view your photos. It's near the top-left of the window.
   • Click on All Photos. It's one of the albums on the screen, likely in the upper-left corner. After your devices have synced with iCloud, the photos from your devices will appear in this folder.
   • To download a photo, click on the picture you'd like to download, then click on the download button. It's a cloud icon with a downward pointing arrow at the top of the window.
   • Select a location to save your photo(s) in the dialog box that appears.
6. Click on iCloud Drive. This opens your iCloud Drive interface, which is used to upload and download documents and files.
   • Click and drag any documents you wish to save onto the Drive screen. Now your documents will be available from any synced device, including an iPhone or iPad.
7. Click on Contacts. These are the contacts that you've synced from your devices. Any additions or changes you make in the iCloud app will be reflected across your synced devices.
8. Click on Calendar. Events and appointments that you add to your Calendar app on a synced device will appear here. If you add or edit an event on the iCloud app, the changes will be made across all your synced devices, as well.
9. Click on Find My iPhone. When you've turned on "Find My..." on an Apple device, the location of the given given is tracked via iCloud. This service and app can be used to locate your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and even AirPods.

Syncing with iCloud on iPhone or iPad

1. Open Settings. It's an app that contains gears (⚙️) and is typically located on your home screen.
2. Tap your Apple ID. It's the section at the top of the menu that contains your name and image, if you've added one.
   • If you are not signed in, tap Sign in to (Your Device), enter your Apple ID and password, then tap Sign In.
   • If you are running an older version of iOS, you may not need to do this step.
3. Tap iCloud. It's in the second section of the menu.
4. Select the types of data you wish to store on iCloud. Do so by sliding the buttons next to the apps listed under "Apps Using iCloud" to the "On" (green) or "Off" (white) position.
   • Scroll down to see the complete list of apps that may access iCloud.
5. Tap Photos. It's near the top of the "Apps Using iCloud" section.
   • Turn on iCloud Photo Library to automatically upload and store your camera roll to iCloud. When enabled, your entire photo and video library will be accessible from any mobile or desktop platform.
   • Turn on My Photo Stream to automatically upload new photos to iCloud whenever you're connected to Wi-Fi.
   • Turn on iCloud Photo Sharing if you'd like to create photo albums that friends can access over the web or on their Apple device.
6. Tap iCloud. It's in the upper-left corner of the screen.
7. Scroll down and tap Keychain. It's near the bottom of the "Apps Using iCloud" section.
8. Slide the "iCloud Keychain" button to the "On" (right) position. It will turn green. Doing so makes stored passwords and payment information available on any device that you've logged into with your Apple ID.
   • Apple does not have access to this encrypted information.
9. Tap iCloud. It's in the upper-left corner of the screen.
10. Scroll down and tap Find My iPhone. It's near the bottom of the "Apps Using iCloud" section.
11. Slide the "Find My iPhone" button to the "On" (right) position. Doing so allows you to locate your device by logging into iCloud on a computer or mobile platform and clicking on Find My iPhone.
    • Turn on Send Last Location to enable your device to send its location information to Apple when the battery is critically low.
12. Tap iCloud. It's in the upper-left corner of the screen.
13. Scroll down and tap iCloud Backup. It's near the bottom of the "Apps Using iCloud" section.
14. Slide the button next to "iCloud Backup" to the "On" (right) position. Do this to automatically save all of your files, settings, app data, pictures, and music to iCloud whenever your device is plugged in, locked, and connected to Wi-Fi. iCloud Backup enables you to restore your data from iCloud if you replace or erase your device.
15. Slide the "iCloud Drive" button to the "On" (right) position. Doing so will allow apps to access and store data on your iCloud Drive.
    • Any app listed below iCloud Drive will be able to access its storage if the button next to it is in the "On" (green) position.
    • Now you're able to access iCloud through any of the apps that you've turned "On", such as iCloud Drive, Photos, Calendars, or Pages.

Syncing with iCloud on Mac

1. Click on the Apple menu. It's the  icon in the upper-left corner of your screen.
2. Click on System Preferences. It's in the second section of the drop-down menu.
3. Click on iCloud. It's on the left side of the window.
   • If you're not automatically logged in, enter your Apple ID and password.
4. Check the box next to "iCloud Drive." It's at the top of the right pane. Now you can access and edit files and documents on iCloud.
   • Do so by choosing "iCloud Drive" in any "Save" dialog box or dragging files to iCloud Drive in the left pane of a Finder window.
   • Select which apps have permission to access iCloud Drive by clicking on the Options button next to "iCloud Drive" in the dialog box.
5. Select the types of data to sync with iCloud. Do so by checking the boxes below "iCloud Drive". For example, check "Photos" if you want to back up and access your Photos on iCloud. Now, your selected data will be stored and available on iCloud.
   • You may need to scroll down to see all the selections.
   • Now any time you use a synced app, like Photos, Calendars, or Pages, on your Mac, you will be accessing and syncing with iCloud.

Tips

• You start with 5 gigabytes of storage space in your iCloud account. If you want to purchase more storage, you can do so from within the "Storage" section of the Settings app.
• If you've shot photos with "Live" enabled, you can play the Live version of the relevant photos by clicking the "Play" triangle in the top right corner of them once you've opened them.

Warnings

• If your iPhone, iPad, or Mac isn't running the latest version of its OS, you may experience issues with iCloud functionality.
• Some file types that you can store in iCloud Drive won't be compatible or viewable in an iOS context.

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• Use iCloud Drive

Sources and Citations

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