When you’re on the move—from home to office, classroom to dorm room—it’s not always possible to work on the same device. So how do you move your files between devices? Much like Dropbox and Google Drive, Apple’s iCloud Drive stores your files in the cloud, making it easy to access documents on any of your Apple devices (or a Windows PC)—so long as the device has a fast enough Internet connection. Drag files to and from the iCloud Drive folder in your Mac’s Finder ①, and iCloud Drive syncs them across your devices so they’re always up to date.
① Click iCloud Drive in a Finder window sidebar and then drag files in or out as you please.
What iCloud Drive Can Do
Use iCloud Drive to store documents, presentations, spreadsheets, PDFs, images, you name it, on Apple’s servers.
Everything you save here is immediately synced and available on other compatible Apple devices you’ve set up. That means you can work on a document on your iPad and then open it later on your Mac and see the changes you made there, too.
Check the Requirements
To use iCloud Drive, a device must have an active Internet connection and meet minimum requirements:
iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with Apple’s iOS 8 or 9.
A device that doesn’t meet any of the above requirements could still access iCloud Drive through iCloud.com if it is running at least Safari 8, Firefox 22, or Google Chrome 28.
If you use iWork apps (Pages, Numbers, and Keynote), upgrade them to the latest versions. Alternatively, use the Web-based iWork for iCloud (in beta, but publicly available, at press time).
Turn On iCloud Drive
If you’re the lucky owner of a new Mac running El Capitan or iOS device running iOS 9, iCloud Drive is turned on automatically.
If you’re not sure whether you are running iCloud Drive—or you know you’re not, go to System Preferences > iCloud and, if you aren’t already signed in to iCloud, sign in with your Apple ID.
If you haven’t already, select the iCloud Drive box ②.
② To activate iCloud Drive on your Mac, go to System Preferences > iCloud and check the iCloud Drive box.
Click the Options button here to see which apps store files and data in iCloud. Uncheck the box next to one to prevent it from doing so ③.
③ Uncheck an app here to stop it from storing documents and data in iCloud.
On your iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch, tap Settings > iCloud > iCloud Drive > Upgrade to iCloud Drive. Documents that you’ve already stored in iCloud are automatically moved to iCloud Drive when you upgrade.
Size Up Your Storage
You get 5 GB of storage for free when you sign up for iCloud, but that space isn’t used for iCloud Drive alone. It also covers your iOS iCloud Backup files, iCloud Photo Library, app data, and any iCloud Mail messages.
If you need more space, go to System Preferences > iCloud. Click the Manage button and then select an app in the list to see how much space its files are taking up ④. iCloud tells you how to delete files, if you choose.
④ To find out who is hogging space on iCloud, go to System Preferences > iCloud and click the Manage Button.
If you want to buy more space instead, click Buy More Storage to see Apple’s current rates. Choose a plan, click Next, and then enter your Apple ID password to purchase it ⑤.
⑤ If you need more room for files, upgrade your Cloud storage plan.
Save a File to iCloud Drive
Choose File > Save (Command-S) or click the downward arrow next to the file’s name in the title bar. Choose AppName — iCloud from the Where pop-up menu to save the file in the associated app’s iCloud Drive folder (Keynote, for example) ⑥. That will simplify opening files from within that app. Or, choose iCloud Drive to save it at the root level of iCloud Drive.
⑥ Here I’m saving my presentation in Keynote’s app-specific iCloud Drive folder.
Access iCloud Drive Files
Here are just a few ways to access iCloud Drive files:
On your Mac, go to iCloud.com in a Web browser and click iCloud Drive A list of files and folders appears; upload and download from here.
On your Yosemite or El Capitan Mac, open a new Finder window by choosing File > New Finder Window (or pressing Command-N). Click iCloud Drive in Finder window’s sidebar ⑧. Drag and drop a file to move it to or from here. Option-drag if you want to copy the file instead.
⑧ Click iCloud Drive in the Finder sidebar to browse files and folders stored there.
On a PC running Windows 7 or 8, use the latest iCloud for Windows app to see your iCloud Drive folder in the Windows File Explorer.
On your iOS 8 or 9 device, open a file from within an iCloud Drive-compatible app, for example, Apple’s Keynote, if the file is stored inside the Keynote folder on iCloud Drive.
On your iOS 9 device, use the iCloud Drive app to browse and download files in your iCloud Drive folder ⑨.
⑨ Use the new iCloud Drive app on your iOS 9 device to access files stored on iCloud Drive. (If you don’t see the iCloud Drive app, tap Settings > iCloud > iCloud Drive, and enable Show on Home Screen.)
Turn Off iCloud Drive
On your Mac, go to System Preferences > iCloud and uncheck the iCloud Drive box. When you do, your Mac apps will no longer be able to access documents stored in iCloud.
If you decide to turn iCloud Drive off, first make sure you can work with your documents offline. On your Mac, navigate to iCloud Drive in the Finder, select the files or folders, and then press Option while dragging and dropping them to another location.
