How to get your iCloud Drive files on your Windows PC
Learn how to access, download, add, and remove files and folders saved to Apple iCloud Drive on your Windows computer.
The official iCloud app for Windows PC allows you to sync iCloud Photos, iCloud Drive files, iCloud Keychain passwords, bookmarks, iCloud Mail, Calendar, and Contacts.
Once installed and set up, you can access your iCloud Drive files from your iPhone, iPad, and Mac on your PC. This includes your Mac’s Desktop and Documents folders if you’ve enabled saving them to iCloud Drive. Additionally, you can add new files to iCloud Drive from your PC or delete existing ones. Any changes you make on your PC sync to your other Apple devices and vice versa.
Set up iCloud Drive on your Windows PC
1) Download the iCloud app from the Microsoft Store on your PC.
2) Open the app and log in with your Apple Account email address and password.
3) Go through the setup process until you see “Sync iCloud Drive files to File Explorer,” then click the Sync Files button.
If you’ve already set up the iCloud app on your PC, open it and click iCloud Drive. Now turn on the switch for “Your files stored in iCloud Drive will sync to their own folder in File Explorer” and hit Done.
4) Wait for files from your iCloud storage to prepare and download to your Windows computer.
Access all iCloud Drive files on your PC
After you’ve set up iCloud on your Windows PC, click “View in File Explorer” in the iCloud app. You can also manually open File Explorer to find a new iCloud Drive section and click it to access your files and folders.
Add, move, or delete iCloud Drive files on Windows PC
The iCloud Drive folder in PC File Explorer works in a similar fashion to the iCloud Drive folder in Mac’s Finder. You can drag and drop or paste new files here, and they will upload to iCloud Drive, eventually appearing on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and the web.
If you move a file out of iCloud Drive to your PC desktop or another folder, that file will no longer be available in iCloud on all your devices. Similarly, if you delete a file from the iCloud Drive section, it will disappear from all devices.
In the event you want to restore the deleted file, recover it by going to the Recycle Bin. You can also recover it from the Recently Deleted folder in the Files app on your iOS device or the Trash on Mac, provided you’re using iCloud Drive on these devices.
Download iCloud Drive files to File Explorer on Windows PC
iCloud Drive files behave in File Explorer the same way as iCloud Photos.
Files with a green check mark are already saved to your PC for offline viewing. But if you want to keep a file, folder, or even the entire iCloud Drive section always downloaded to the local storage, right-click on it and select “Always keep on this device.” After this, the green check mark becomes solid.
You can also copy and paste downloaded files to another folder in File Explorer.
Change the folder where iCloud Drive files are saved
By default, your iCloud data on Windows PC is saved to C:UsersusernameiCloudDrive. However, you can switch to a different File Explorer folder by clicking the Change button in the iCloud Drive section of the iCloud app.
Access iCloud Drive files in Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, or Firefox
Visit iCloud.com/iclouddrive in a web browser on your PC and sign in with your Apple ID credentials to access, download, and upload new files.
Stop using iCloud Drive on Windows PC
If you don’t want to use iCloud Drive on your PC, do the following:
- Turn off iCloud Drive from the iCloud app.
- Click Account Details in the iCloud app, hit Sign Out, and select Delete from PC in the popup that says “Turn off iCloud Drive.”
- If you’re using iCloud Drive in a web browser, sign out of your iCloud account by clicking your profile icon in the top right corner of the screen.
More tips for your PC:
- How to transfer local iPhone photos and videos to a Windows PC
- How to use the Apple Devices app on your Windows PC
- How to get iPhone texts and app notifications on Windows PC and reply to them
Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2025/03/17/how-to-get-icloud-drive-files-on-windows-pc/
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