Say goodbye to Dropbox with iCloud folder sharing on iPhone, iPad and Mac

Looking for a quick and easy way to share a class project, a worksheet, or a collection of your favorite animated GIFs? If you are an Apple user, iCloud Drive folder sharing is built into iPhone, iPad and Mac, and really easy to use. Storing files and folders in your iCloud Drive account has been possible for years, but a software update at the beginning of this year added the ability to share folders stored in your iCloud Drive account too.

See you later, Dropbox.

As a longtime Dropbox user, the three device limit on free accounts that was imposed In March 2019, I had to find a replacement service. And Apple delivered.

With most of my family and friends using Apple products, the fact that iCloud Drive is already integrated should ease the transition for everyone involved. Especially me.

Activating and customizing the settings of a shared folder is not so obvious, but once you know where to look, the process is simple.

Before using iCloud Drive read this

Here are some things to keep in mind before you start sharing folders with colleagues or family:

• Anyone viewing, adding, or editing files in a shared folder will need an Apple ID.
• You, as well as anyone you share with, should have iOS 13.4, iPadOS 13.4 or MacOS Catalina 10.15.4 or newer installed.
• A shared folder will only count towards the owner’s iCloud Drive storage space, not those with whom it has been shared.
• Any shared Pages, Numbers, or Keynote documents in an iCloud folder will become a collaborative document. The collaboration feature is similar to Google Docs in that anyone with access can make changes and track edits.
• If you start using iCloud folder sharing, you probably want or need to increase your storage plan. Add more from the iCloud section of the Settings app on your iPhone or system preferences on a Mac. Plans range from 5GB of total free storage to $ 9.99 a month for 2TB. You can increase or decrease your plan at any time.

Share a folder on iPhone and iPad

one) Open the Records application and select iCloud Drive from the Browse tab.

two) Tap Select in the upper right corner of the screen, then touch the folder you want to share.

3) Select the Share button followed by Add people.

4) Select how you want to send the invitation to the shared folder. If you choose to copy the link, have a phone number or email address ready for the person to share. You will need to enter it so Apple knows who to provide access to the folder.

5) Tap on Sharing options to adjust permissions. You can set permissions so that anyone with a link can access the folder with viewing and editing permissions, or lock it to specific contacts.

Share a folder on a Mac

one) Open Discoverer and select iCloud Drive.

two) Select the folder you want to share and click the Share button at the top of the Finder window.

3) Click Add people.

4) Click on Sharing options to configure your sharing permissions.

5) Choose how you want to send the link, then click Share.

Once a contact accepts the shared folder invitation, it will be displayed in their iCloud Drive account. They will have access to your content and, depending on the permissions you set, they will be able to add, edit or delete files in the folder. Each file will have a contact name next to it, letting you know who added it to the folder.

So far, in my tests, I have not yet received an alert or notification of any kind when someone has altered a file or added items to a folder. Hopefully, that’s something Apple will add in a future update.

To see a list of members of shared folders, select the folder in Files or Finder, click the Share button, but this time select Show people. You can remove anyone who has access by selecting their name, then Delete access on an iPhone or iPad, or by clicking the three-dot menu button next to its name, then Delete access on a Mac

Once you’ve started sharing some folders, make sure you know how to maximize your ICloud storage by getting rid of backups of old devices. If you just started using a Mac, change this setting immediately. Were Currently testing iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, before its launch later this year, and while we haven’t found any new sharing features, we’ve found many features that you will love as much as we do.

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