Keep your files up to date and share them with iCloud Drive (2024)

Access the same files on all your devices

When you set up iCloud Drive, you can store files and folders in the cloud, which frees up space on your device. You can see them on any device that has iCloud Drive turned on. They appear in the Files app on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch and in the Finder on your Mac. You can even access your files in File Explorer on a Windows computer when you use iCloud for Windows. You can also access files and folders stored in iCloud Drive in a web browser at iCloud.com.

Because your files are stored in the cloud, changes you make on one device—like adding a file to a folder, renaming a file, or deleting a file—automatically appear on all your devices. You see the most up-to-date version of your files, no matter where you access them.

Note: All files you add to iCloud Drive count toward your iCloud storage.

Restore deleted files

Files you delete in iCloud Drive are moved to a Recently Deleted folder on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, and on iCloud.com; and to the Trash on your Mac.

Recently deleted files can be recovered for 30 days. If you permanently delete a file from the Recently Deleted folder or empty the Trash on your Mac, you can’t recover it.

Share and collaborate on files and folders

You can use iCloud Drive to share files and folders with friends, family, and colleagues, just by sharing a link. When collaborators make changes, everyone sees those changes in real time.

If you share with someone who uses iCloud, they can add the shared file or folder to their iCloud Drive and view it on all their devices. You decide if the people you share with can edit the file or folder, or just view it. You can also allow them to add other people.

You can also share a file with people who don’t use iCloud. Anyone who has the link can download it. If you share a Pages, Numbers, or Keynote file, you can allow anyone with the link to edit it.

Get started

See Set up iCloud Drive on all your devices.

See alsoKeep third-party app data up to date on all your Apple devices with iCloud