iCloud is Apple's cloud platform that serves and secures all Apple devices. It can save and synchronize all your photos, contacts, files, reminders, and notes, and you can also use it to store device backups. You can access and manage your ‌iCloud‌ data on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows, and the web. Keep reading to learn how.

mac iphone ipad apple tv
‌iCloud‌ stores your content securely and keeps your apps up to date across all your devices. That means all your data is safe and accessible wherever you are where there's an active internet connection available.

‌iCloud‌ Backups are another indispensable service from ‌iCloud‌. With an ‌iCloud‌ Backup of your ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌, you can restore it on a new device, or use it if you need to erase or restore a device.

‌iCloud‌ comes with 5GB of free storage and you can add more storage at any time. The 50GB plan costs $0.99 per month, while the 200GB and 2TB plans cost $2.99 and $9.99 per month, respectively.

How to Access iCloud on iPhone and iPad

  1. Launch the Settings app on your ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌.
  2. Tap your name in the banner at the top.
  3. Tap iCloud.
  4. Use the toggles next to the apps and data for syncing or unsyncing them to ‌iCloud‌.
    icloud settings
  5. Scroll down and tap iCloud Backup to automatically make backups of your iOS device to the cloud.
  6. Keep scrolling down to manage any third-party apps you have installed that can sync with ‌iCloud‌.

How to Access iCloud on Mac

  1. Click the Apple  symbol in the top-left corner of your screen.
  2. Click System Preferences.... apple menu system preferences
  3. Click iCloud.
    system prefs
  4. Use the checkboxes next to the apps and data for syncing or unsyncing them to ‌iCloud‌.
    2how to access icloud mac

There's no option to back up your entire Mac to ‌iCloud‌, but you can do so locally by using an external drive and Time Machine.

How to Access iCloud in Windows

With ‌iCloud‌ for Windows, the photos, documents, and bookmarks on your PC are updated automatically on your Apple devices.

  1. Download iCloud for Windows.
  2. Restart Your Computer.
  3. Make sure ‌iCloud‌ for Windows is open. If it doesn't open automatically, go to Start, open Apps or Programs, and open iCloud for Windows.
  4. Enter your Apple ID to sign in to ‌iCloud‌.
    iCloud windows
  5. Use the checkboxes to select the features and data that you want to keep up to date across your devices.
  6. Click Apply.

How to Access iCloud From a Web Browser

  1. Visit the iCloud.com website on your web browser of choice.
  2. Enter your ‌Apple ID‌, password, and two-factor authentication code if the feature is enabled.
    icloudsettings
  3. Once logged in, you can use the ‌iCloud‌ web apps to access your data, documents, and photos. You can also use tools in Settings -> Advanced to recover files that have been deleted from iCloud, as well as recover Contacts, Calendars, and Reminders that have been lost.

Note that ‌accessing ‌iCloud‌‌ via the web is also handy for immediately signing out of all browsers that are signed into ‌‌iCloud‌‌ should you suspect someone has gained unauthorized access to your account and for managing apps that let people look you up using your ‌Apple ID‌. It also displays all devices you're signed into, offers up a look at available storage, and displays the members of your Family Sharing group.

Tag: iCloud

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
iOS 26

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
Google maps feaure

Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers

Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
macOS Tahoe 26 Thumb

Apple Releases macOS Tahoe 26.2 With Edge Light

Friday December 12, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Apple today released macOS Tahoe 26.2, the second major update to the macOS Tahoe operating system that came out in September. macOS Tahoe 26.2 comes five weeks after Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.1. Mac users can download the macOS Tahoe update by using the Software Update section of System Settings. macOS Tahoe 26.2 includes Edge Light, a feature that illuminates your face with soft...
iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...