How To Download Files From Icloud To Mac

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Support Communities / iCloud / iCloud on my Mac. But downloading 1 file alone takes iCloud about 15 seconds to prepare and in total 3 clicks and opening and closing the Pages app each time (that's what happens when a download succeeded). Question: Q: Download all files from iCloud (pages) More Less. May 03, 2018 Yes, in a Mac finder you will see an icloud in a left sidebar it is just working like any harddisk but instead it’s cloud hard drive so you can use to upload, download, edit etc like your own hard drive as long as you have enough space to play wit. Dec 16, 2019 Click Apple ID, then click iCloud. On macOS Mojave or earlier, choose Apple menu System Preferences, then click iCloud. Turn on Optimize Mac Storage. Then your Mac keeps all of your recent files on your computer, but keeps your older ones only in iCloud, ready for you to download when you need them again.

Store your Desktop and Documents folder in iCloud Drive and access them on all your devices. That means you can start a document on your Desktop, then work on it later from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch and on iCloud.com. Everything automatically stays up to date everywhere.

Before you begin

But downloading 1 file alone takes iCloud about 15 seconds to prepare and in total 3 clicks and opening and closing the Pages app each time (that's what happens when a download succeeded). I will not ask WHY I can't 'download all' in the same amount of time, but I would like to ask if there is any workaround to get my files without spending a. Feb 10, 2017 Thanks, Phil. Thats what I tried to do; drag a folder from the iCloud Drive page in my browser to the iCloud Drive folder on the PC, but it will not let me drag either files or folders. If I highlight a file in the cloud I can see the download icon and it works fine, but if I highlight a folder the download icon is greyed-out.

  1. Update your Mac to the latest version of macOS and your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch to the latest version of iOS or iPadOS.
  2. Make sure that you’re signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID on all of your devices.
  3. Set up iCloud on all of your devices and turn on iCloud Drive.

Turn on Desktop and Documents

Turn on Desktop and Documents on every Mac that you want to use with iCloud Drive.

  1. From your Mac, choose Apple menu  > System Preferences. Click Apple ID, then click iCloud. On macOS Mojave or earlier, choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, then click iCloud.
  2. Make sure that iCloud Drive is turned on.
  3. Next to iCloud Drive, click Options.
  4. Choose Desktop & Documents Folders.
  5. Click Done.

In the Finder, you'll see your Desktop and Documents folder in the iCloud section of your sidebar. If you add a second Mac Desktop, you'll find those files in the Desktop folder in iCloud Drive. A folder is created with the same name as your second Mac.

Access your Desktop and Documents files on another device

When you add your Desktop and Documents to iCloud Drive, all of your files move to iCloud and any new files you create are automatically stored in iCloud too. Then you can find your files on all of your devices.

If you want to store your files in iCloud Drive and another cloud storage service, you can keep copies of your files in both, but you can't keep folders from a third-party cloud service in iCloud Drive. You can keep your other cloud service folders in a different place on your Mac, like the home folder.

Your files upload to iCloud each time your device connects to the Internet. Depending on your Internet speed, the time it takes for you to see your files on your other devices might vary.

On your Mac

You can find the files on your Desktop and in your Documents folder in the Finder under iCloud. You can also search for the titles with Spotlight.

You can organize and combine folders from multiple Macs when you turn on Desktop and Documents on those computers too. After you turn on Desktop and Documents on a second Mac, you'll find its files in folders with the same name as your second Mac inside your original Desktop and Documents folders. Then you can combine your files manually, but iCloud doesn’t automatically merge the files in case you want to keep them separate. Any edits you make are seamlessly updated in iCloud Drive. There’s no need to manage your folders and files again on your other devices.

On your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

With the Files app on iOS 11 or later, it's easy to access and edit your files directly from your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

When you find the file you need in the Files app, you can use it in any compatible app to edit it.

If you're using iOS 9 or iOS 10, you can access your files in the iCloud Drive app.

On iCloud.com

iCloud.com lets you access your Desktop and Documents folder from your iPad or another computer browser. All of your files are easy to find, organize, and download directly from iCloud Drive. You can even drag files into the Desktop and Documents folders, and then find them later on your Mac.

  1. Sign in to iCloud.com with your Apple ID.
  2. Go to iCloud Drive.
  3. Double-click the Desktop or Documents folder.

If you want to use the file or make edits, just click and download it to your iPad or computer. When you're done making edits, upload the file to iCloud Drive to see the latest version everywhere.

Store your files in iCloud and save space on your device

The files that you keep in iCloud Drive use your iCloud storage. And as long as you have enough space in iCloud and on your device, you can store as many files as you like.

If you need more space on your device, iCloud Drive can help. On your Mac, choose Apple menu  > System Preferences. Click Apple ID, then click iCloud. On macOS Mojave or earlier, choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, then click iCloud. Turn on Optimize Mac Storage. Then your Mac keeps all of your recent files on your computer, but keeps your older ones only in iCloud, ready for you to download when you need them again. If you want to free up more space on your Mac, follow these steps. On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, you can search and browse files from all of your devices and download them only as you need them.

You can also free up space on your device and in iCloud Drive when you delete files. Then go to your Recently Deleted folder in the Files app or on iCloud.com and delete the files there. Before you delete anything, make sure that you back up the files that you still want. When you use iCloud Drive and delete a file on one device, it deletes on your other devices too. iCloud removes the files from every device that you're signed in to with the same Apple ID.

Turn off Desktop and Documents

When you turn off Desktop & Documents Folders, your files stay in iCloud Drive and a new Desktop and Documents folder is created on your Mac in the home folder. You can move files from iCloud Drive to your Mac as you need them, or select all of your files and drag them to the place you want to keep them.

  1. From your Mac, choose Apple menu  > System Preferences. Click Apple ID, then click iCloud. On macOS Mojave or earlier, choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, then click iCloud.
  2. Next to iCloud Drive, click Options.
  3. Deselect Desktop & Documents Folders.
  4. Click Done.

If you turn off iCloud Drive or sign out of iCloud, you have the option to keep a local copy of your files that are in iCloud Drive. Whether you decide to keep a local copy or not, a new Desktop and Documents folder is created in your home folder. If you choose to keep a local copy, your files in iCloud Drive are copied to a folder called iCloud Drive (Archive) in your home folder. Then you have the option to move any files that were in your iCloud Desktop and Documents, back to your new local Desktop and Documents.

Learn more

  • Here's what else you can do with iCloud Drive.
  • Use the Files app to access your files on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
  • Get help with iCloud Drive.
  • Upgrade your iCloud storage.

'How can I download an iCloud backup to PC? The port on my old iPhone 7 is broken, and I can't back it up via iTunes. But I can make an iCloud backup. I'd like to download iCloud backup to my computer so that I can see the backup file and manually recover/transfer my old pictures and everything I have from iCloud files.'


'iPhone can't restore data properly from iCloud after the last reset & restore. Is there any way to access/get iCloud backup for iPhone?'


iCloud is not new to you, because it serves as a very helpful assistant to back up iPhone data. Besides, iCloud not only effectively backs up iPhone data, but also protects your privacy with an encryption system.


However, the iCloud backup is limited. What's worse, iCloud gets stuck from time to time when resetting and restoring, risky of losing data. To keep your precious/private data safe, the best way is downloading iCloud backups to your computer and storing as a copy.


Now, this post will show the best 3 methods to download your iCloud backup to PC.

Go Part 2 if you want to selectively download data from iCloud backup to PC, including photos, videos, contacts, messages, call logs, iMessages, WhatsApp, Kik etc. Besides, you can view iCloud content like messages on PC before saving to the local folder. Moreover, it owns a fast downloading speed.


Go Part 3 if you want to do it online. It only allows you to download pictures to computer, without previewing in advance. And it has a slower download speed, compared to Part 2 and 3.


Go Part 4 if you need to download only photos and videos (not including other files) from iCloud to Win 10/8.1/8/7. This method requires you to download and set up iCloud on PC first.

Part 1. What Causes You Need to Download iCloud Backup Files to PC?

1. Insufficient Free iCloud Storage to Sync Data

Your iOS device allows you to back up your data via iCloud without computer, though providing only 5GB free storage space. By downloading the photos, videos, documents etc. to PC as copy, you can delete the old items on iCloud to free up space.


2. Not Want to Restore the Whole iCloud Backup to iPhone/iPad

You have a 16GB or 32GB iPhone/iPad and there is not enough available memory space on device. After your device was factory reset, you may need a way to selectively restore some files (you most need) from iCloud backup.

3. iPhone/iPad Device Is Lost or Stolen

Not have your iOS device at hand but got your data synced to iCloud? Downloading iCloud backup to PC is the best way to rescue your precious data.


Don't worry! Regardless of your situation, the following methods can help you download iCloud backup to your computer with simple steps.



Part 2. Preview and Download Data from iCloud Backup to PC (Selectively)

If you are looking a professional extractor to restore various data types (more than 22) from iCloud backup, FoneCopeiPhone Data Recovery is here for you to wisely download iCloud backup to PC computer and browse the details in advance before selectively retrieving them.



Software Features:

  • Download multiple iCloud backup files on PC, even without iPhone/iPad at hand

  • Selectively extract data from iTunes/iCloud backup and save to PC/Mac

  • Preview photos, videos, contacts, messages, WhatsApp etc. (up to 22 types) before recovery

  • Recover lost iOS data without backup fast and safe

  • Fix various iOS systems bugs and issues


Step 1. Choose a recovery mode and select data types

After downloading and launching this iPhone data recovery software on computer, now you can open this program. On the left side, the option to choose should be 'Recover from iCloud Backup'. Then click on the Start button.


After that, a window will show up to ask you to choose what data types that you want to restore from iCloud backup. When have chosen those wanted files, you need to sign in your iCloud account.

How To Clear Icloud Mac


Step 2. Log in your iCloud account with ID and passcode

To access your iCloud backup, it requires you to sign in iCloud account. Don't afraid that FoneCope will invade your data, because it will never, and cannot keep your iCloud account info or content.


Step 3. Choose iCloud Backup to Download and Scan Files

Next, the software will show you all the backup files in this iCloud account. You can pick up those you want, and hit the button 'Next' to download the specific iCloud backup on computer.


Step 4. Scan the downloaded iCloud backup on PC

The scanning process may last a few minutes. When it finishes, please browse through the results. Preview the files and choose some of them. And then click the Recover button save the iCloud data onto PC. After clicking Recover, you'll be asked to choose a location folder on your PC to store these files.


As you have seen, this tool is an effective way to download iCloud backup to PC and makes iPhone data recovery easy. There's nothing complicated that exhaust your energy.




Part 3. Downloading iCloud backup to Computer via iCloud Official Website

It seems unbelievable that you can find your iCloud backup on a website. But, you not only can download any file that you have backed up from iOS device to iCloud, but also it is totally free to download iCloud backup to PC.


The specific steps are as follow:

  1. On PC, go to iCloud.com via a web browser.

  2. log in with your Apple ID and password.

  3. For pictures: Simply click the Photos icon, select the photos you want, and then download to PC. You can find the download button on the top right corner.

  4. For contacts, notes, reminders, mail, and calendar: However, you cannot find the download option for these categories. You can only access and view them online.

  5. What if you want to download them to your PC? Try the method in Part 2.

  6. Set the path and folder to save the downloaded iCloud pictures.



How To Download Files From Icloud To Mac Desktop

How

Part 4. Download iCloud backup to Win 10/8/7/XP by Using iCloud Drive

Firstly, you need to download and set up iCloud on your Windows computer through official download resource from iCloud Control Panel .


If this link does not work, please use another web browser to install iCloud Drive.

1. Restart your PC and run iCloud. Then you can sign in by entering your Apple ID and password.

2. Go to Settings, click iCloud, choose the features and contents you need to download (Only pictures and videos), and click on the Apply button.


3. On your iPhone/iPad (iOS 12/11/10/9/8), tap Settings > iCloud > Photos > Download > Keep Originals. And then upload your iCloud photos and videos from device to PC.

How To Download Files From Icloud To Mac


4. Go to 'iCloud Photos', and view the photos and videos in this folder on computer.


Tip: Press the Start menu on the keyboard, and find iCloud folder/Photos.



Tip: The Same? Syncing with iCloud VS. Storing Data in iCloud Backup

Syncing with iCloud and Storing Data in iCloud Backup are different.


The former - Syncing with iCloud: If you enabled Settings >> Name >> iCloud >> APPS USING ICLOUD, the iCloud data will change in real time according to the increase/decrease of iPhone/iPad data.

How To Download Icloud Photos To Pc


The latter - Storing Data in iCloud Backup: When you complete a backup, the data in the iCloud backup file will not change unless you perform a backup one more time.



The Bottom Line

Above 3 methods are available to help you access/download iCloud backup to PC/Windows computer: FoneCope iPhone Data Recovery, iCould.com, and iCloud Driver. There must be one that suits you. With the step-by-step guide, you can follow and download the iCloud backup file to computer with simple steps.


Hope these solutions do help you! Please leave a common and let me know!