What Happens If You Turn Off iCloud Drive:
Create New Downloads Folder in iCloud Drive: First, you need to create a new folder in your iCloud. Changes you make to a downloaded file appear only on your computer unless you subsequently upload the file to iCloud Drive. In iCloud Drive on iCloud.com, select the files you want to download, then click in the iCloud Drive toolbar. Sign in to iCloud to access your photos, videos, documents, notes, contacts, and more. Use your Apple ID or create a new account to start using Apple services. Use the latest version of macOS. Update to the latest version of macOS. Go to Apple menu. After logging in iCloud with Apple ID and password, it is easy to find, organize and download documents from iCloud Drive. After signing in, you can go to iCloud Drive, and double click Desktop or Documents folder. Then, choose the document files to download and save to your Mac. How to Save Documents from iCloud on iPhone. If you have enabled iCloud drive on your iPhone running iOS 11.
iCloud Drive is an amazing and useful feature provided by Apple. It is available on all Apple devices such as Mac, iMac, iPhone, iPad, iPod and others. Here we will discuss about what happens if you turn off iCloud Drive on Mac or other apple device. We will explain almost everything about the iCloud Drive and show you how you can get the best advantage of it.
Contents
- 1 What Happens If You Turn Off iCloud Drive
What is iCloud Drive?
iCloud Drive is a part of iCloud which is an exclusive cloud storage service for apple users. The iCloud Drive allows you to store your desktop and documents folders online instead of on Mac’s Hard Disk. You can use iCloud Drive on Mac to save space in your SSD/Hard Disk storage. If you don’t want to use iCloud Drive then you can turn it off at anytime.
Which Data is Stored in iCloud Drive?
iCloud Drive is designed to free up space on Mac’s Hard Drive. Most files are stored either on Mac’s Desktop or in the Documents folder. Therefore both the Desktop and Documents folders are stored in the iCloud Drive. Anything you create, download or copy/paste on your desktop is directly saved to the iCloud Drive if you have turned this feature on.
How iCloud Drive Works
iCloud Drive is very useful feature for every Mac user. It allows the user to store their documents and desktop folders in iCloud Drive and save a lot of space on Mac’s hard disk. In order to do that your Mac System must be continuously connected to WiFi Internet.
How To Download Photos From Icloud Drive To Mac
The free storage limit on iCloud Drive is 5 GB. Thereafter you need to buy a monthly plan to increase the storage limit and pay the fees charged by Apple Inc. iCloud Services. When your files are stored in iCloud Drive, you can access them from other devices too.
For Example:
You are typing a document on your Mac and you save it on Desktop. The document file will be stored in Desktop folder of iCloud Drive. You have turned off the Mac System and now you can access that document from your iPhone. Just go to iCloud Drive on iPhone and open Desktop folder. Then open the document file and read/edit it the way you want. Finally save it again to iCloud Drive so that you can access it in future from your Mac computer.
Benefits of Using iCloud Drive
By using iCloud Drive on Mac, you will get various benefits mentioned as follows:
- You can keep all your files and folders up to date across all your devices.
- You can create new files and folders from iCloud-enabled apps.
- You can work on the same file across multiple apps and multiple devices.
- You can securely access the files from your Mac Desktop and Documents folder everywhere that you use iCloud Drive.
- You can share files in one click with anyone you like.
What Happens If You Turn Off iCloud Drive
iCloud Drive provides many benefits to the Mac user. However, not all Mac users need to use iCloud Drive. It is useful only for those who want to save space on their Mac’s SSD or Hard Disk and/or access their files from other devices. If you are not any of these people then you don’t need to use the iCloud Drive. You will prefer to store your data on your Mac’s Hard Disk only. Open office mac 10.6 8 download.
You can turn off the iCloud Drive at anytime. The moment you turn it off on Mac, it stops saving your files in iCloud Drive and stores them normally in your Mac’s Storage i.e. SSD Hard Disk. But you may have this question in mind, “What will happen if you turn off iCloud Drive on Mac?” We are here to provide the right answer and give you some important tips to keep your data safe for long time.
“If you turn off iCloud Drive on Mac, the Desktop and Documents folders will become empty. All the files in these two folders will be immediately removed. Don’t worry, your data is stored safely in iCloud Drive and you can restore or download them from the iCloud Drive to Mac at anytime.”
How to Turn Off iCloud Drive on Mac
You can turn off iCloud Drive on your Mac System at anytime, kindly follow the steps mentioned below:
01. On your Mac Desktop, go to Apple Menu.
02. Select “System Preferences” tab.
03. Toon boom storyboard. Find out “iCloud” icon and click on it.
04. Here you will see iCloud Drive, Photos, Mail, Contacts and other options.
05. Un-check/Un-tick the box of “iCloud Drive” to turn it off.
06. Click on “Turn Off” button to confirm your action.
07. The iCloud Drive has been turned off on your Mac.
After the iCloud Drive is turned off, your files and data will be stored on your Mac’s SSD Hard disk only. It will not be stored in iCloud Drive.
How to Restore or Download Data from iCloud Drive to Mac
When you turn off iCloud Drive on Mac System, You have the option to keep a local copy of your files that are in the iCloud Drive. Adobe premiere pro 2019 mac reddit download. Whether you decide to keep a local copy or not, a new Desktop and Documents folder will be created in your home folder on Mac. If you choose to keep a local copy then your files in iCloud Drive will be copied to a folder named “iCloud Drive (Archive)” in your home folder.
After your files are copied to iCloud Drive (Archive), you can move those files to your new Desktop and Documents folder on Mac. You can also choose “Don’t keep a local copy” to avoid files copying process while turning off the iCloud Drive. You can download your files later from iCloud Drive to your Mac System by following the procedure given below:
How To Download Icloud Drive On Mac Catalina
Steps to Download Files/Data from iCloud Drive to Mac:
01. On your Mac, open Finder window.
02. Select “iCloud Drive” section in the left sidebar.
03. Navigate to “Documents” folder in iCloud Drive and open it.
04. On your Mac Keyboard, press Command-A to select all files.
05. When all files are selected, press Command-C to copy the files.
06. Go to Documents folder on your Mac’s local storage and press Command-V to paste all files.
As you paste all files from iCloud Drive Documents folder to the Documents folder on Mac, the files will start downloading. The duration of this process is dependent on the number of files, their size and the internet speed you have.
Once all files are downloaded, you can access them in Documents folder on Mac. You need to follow the same procedure to download files from iCloud Drive Desktop folder to your home folder on Mac.
How to Download Data from iCloud Drive at iCloud.com
This method is useful when the iCloud Drive shortcut is not available in Finder window. If you want to access your iCloud Drive from a Web Browser then you can download your data/files through the process mentioned below:
01. Open a Web Browser on your Mac, for example: Safari.
02. Make sure the Safari Browser is up to date i.e. the latest version.
Download Icloud Photos To Mac
03. Click on Address Bar and go to www.iCloud.com.
04. Sign in with your Apple ID and Password.
05. Select “iCloud Drive” section and Double Click on “Documents” folder to open it.
06. Hold the Command key and select multiple files in Documents folder.
07. Find “Download” option on upper right side of the window.
08. Click on Download and save the files to your Mac’s Storage.
After all files are downloaded, you need to move them from Downloads to Documents or any other folder on Mac. Because you cannot download whole folder from iCloud.com, you need to download files and move them to your desired folders later.
Alternatives to iCloud Drive for Mac
The best thing about iCloud Drive is that it saves a lot of space on Mac’s SSD Hard Disk. If you have 500 GB or 1 TB Hard Disk on your Mac then there is no need to use iCloud Drive. You can use other Cloud Storage services to keep a backup of your data. You can also access your data from other devices when you keep backup with other cloud services.
iCloud Drive keeps backup of either all your data or nothing, it does not give you a choice. You cannot choose which files or folders to keep in backup and which not. On the other hand, other cloud storage such as Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, OneDrive etc. provide you many options. So it is good to use other cloud services to get more features and free space benefits on Mac.
Final Words:
All the information mentioned above about What Happens If You Turn Off iCloud Drive is true and fair. In case you have more queries regarding iCloud Drive Desktop and Documents folder then please contact the Apple Helpline Number at 1-800-MY-APPLE (800-692-7753) or visit Apple Support Website at support.apple.com.
Apple has morphed iCloud from a back-end cloud storage bucket for apps to a front-facing cloud storage container for users. Still, how to access iCloud folders and files can be tricky.
Best ways to access iCloud from your Mac
Here, we’ll show you how to login to iCloud, access iCloud drive on Mac, and access iCloud from anywhere.
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How to access your iCloud drive using Finder
When you’re on your Mac, follow these instructions to add iCloud to your Finder:
- In the top left of your screen, in the menu bar, select the Apple icon.
- Select System Preferences.
- Select Apple ID.
- Select iCloud.
- Make sure the ‘iCloud Drive’ box is checked. If not, select it.
This will make your iCloud Drive storage appear in Finder. By default, iCloud Drive on Mac has access to all your apps, as well as your iCloud desktop and documents folders on the Mac. This allows your documents to be viewable and editable on all of your Apple devices. If you want to view or edit documents on an iPad or iPhone, it’s important to have this option selected.
Because iCloud Drive is still treated as a sort of storage container by most (including Apple), it’s easy for your iCloud storage to get full. You may store files in it without thinking about how full it’s getting. This can be because you’re not aware iCloud is accessing your documents and desktop on Mac; your Mac might have a terabyte of storage, but chances are your iCloud account doesn’t.
Keep in mind the Photos app also uses iCloud for storage. If you take a lot of pics and don’t manage them later on, it’s eating into your data cap for iCloud.
One great method for keeping iCloud trimmed down is to use CleanMyMac X. It’s an app that allows you to manage your Mac’s files and folders on a consistent schedule, and can let you know when your iCloud is getting overly full of old documents or other files.
How to access iCloud drive via browser
iCloud is also accessible via the browser. If you’d rather manage your iCloud files online, any browser will do! It’s a handy backup for those times you may be away from home and need to use a desktop, or if a file won’t sync to your other devices.
Here’s how to do it:
- Using any browser, go to icloud.com
- Login with your Apple ID and password.
Yup, that’s really it! Here, you can manage your calendar, desktop, Photos, email, reminders, notes, contacts, as well as Apple apps like Keynote, Numbers, and Pages. It’s also the web-based home for Find Friends and the Find iPhone services.
Your iCloud Drive on the Web will have the same files and folders synced to all your devices.
How to access iCloud Photos on iOS devices
On any iPhone, simply access the Photos app. This will show all photos in your library, synced across your devices.
As we mentioned above, your Photos are also available on the web, and of course on the Mac via your Photos app on Mac.
And remember, Photos is likely the reason your iCloud drive storage may be getting full. Most of us simply snap photos, or save screenshots, but don’t manage these images later on. The Photos app makes it simple by giving screenshots their own folder you can quickly empty, but that doesn’t always solve the issue.
There may be a lot of duplicate images taking up storage in your Photos app, which means those duplicates are eating into your iCloud storage, too. You could scroll through your Photos app to find duplicates on your own, but that can be a tedious process.
A smarter method is to use Gemini. It’s a duplicate file finder that scans your Photos app, too. When duplicates are detected, Gemini offers to delete them for you. It also finds pictures that are similar, and offers to delete one of them. This is particularly handy for parents who snap multiple photos of a child to capture a moment, but forget that moment means many pics are stored in the cloud.
More info about how to use iCloud on mac
How to access iCloud backup
Careful observers will note iCloud also keeps backups. This serves one purpose: to have a way to restore a device without much loss of data.
For most of us, an iPhone or iPad backs up when it’s charging. Macs may use Time Machine to create similar ‘images’ to restore from. All of these are fallbacks, and not the best options for securing your data.
More to the point, it may not have what you need. Let’s say you wanted to restore to a point months ago where your device had files, folders, or pictures you’ve since lost. Apple can’t help you; it only saves the most recent backup to iCloud. Again, this is for restoration.
A better way to treat backups is with AnyTrans. It’s a backup manager that lets you create and store backups of any iOS device created via iCloud.
We like this for several reasons. First, you might need to restore to a previous backup, not the most recent. If you’ve got some sort of malware on your device, restoring from a backup may also restore your malware. If you’re limiting yourself to Apple’s methods, the only option is to start a device from scratch and sync your iCloud data. That means hours (or maybe days) of signing in and waiting for files and folders to sync properly.
With AnyTrans, you could restore to a previously store backup, and skip all of those issues. It also means you won’t lose access to files or photos that are synced to iCloud. While they may not be part of the backup, they’ll sync to your device once it’s restored and linked to your iCloud account again!
Conclusion
Accessing iCloud has never been easier. Be it via Mac, iPhone, iPad, or the web, iCloud is now a full-fledged consumer-facing service.
But it’s imperfect. It offers a comparatively limited free storage option to Google Drive, and its paid versions aren’t much more advantageous. iCloud Drive also fills up fast if you don’t manage it carefully.
That’s why Gemini is suc a great app to have. It does the heavy lifting of managing iCloud for you. AnyTrans is great for restoring from backups, for whatever reason. And if you’re serious about keeping your iCloud storage tidy, file management and backups should be a routine you perform regularly.
Both are available for free via a seven-day trial of Setapp, which is only $9.99 per month thereafter. Along with Gemini and AnyTrans, you’ll get access to a lot of other great productivity apps for Mac.
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