It is not uncommon for users of iPhone and iPad to be using a Windows 10 computer for their computing requirements. In this article, you will find the steps to Setup and use iCloud Drive on your Windows 10 computer.
iCloud for Windows
Here is why you may want to setup iCloud Drive on your Windows 10 computer.
My Photo Stream: Any new photos and videos that you take on your iOS devices will be downloaded to your PC. In the same way, photos that you add to My Photo Stream folder on your PC will be accessible on your Apple devices.
iCloud Photo Sharing: This allows you to share photos and videos with anyone that you choose to.
iCloud Drive: Allow you to store file in Apple’s cloud drive. Simply drag your documents into the iCloud Drive folder on your PC and access them at any time, on any device.
Set up iCloud Drive on Windows 10
Setting up and using iCloud on Windows 10 computer is really easy. Apple provides a version of iCloud Drive that is customized for use on Windows computers.
1. Download iCloud for Windows from this link (takes you to Apple.com)
2. Once icloudsetup.exe file is downloaded to your computer, double click on icloudsetup.exe File to start the installation process. (See image below)
3. You will be prompted to Restart your computer
4. After your computers Restarts, Launch iCloud for Windows on your computer. You will find it under Start > All Apps > iCloud > iCloud.
5. Sign in to iCloud using your Apple ID. Use the same Apple ID, Username and Password that you use for signing in to your Apple device.
6. Choose what you want to Sync to iCloud Drive. You will get a screen displaying a list of things that you can sync with iCloud. Just tick those that you want to sync with iCloud.
7. Click on Apply.
Make iCloud Photos Easy to Access
Even though you have installed and setup iCloud on your computer, the iCloud Drive folder remains a little buried and not readily accessible on your computer. Follow the steps below to make iCloud Photos show up in Windows 10 File Explorer.
1. Navigate to iCloud Photos Folder on your computer.
An easy way of finding this would be to type iCloud Photos in Windows 10 search bar and click on the suggested iCloud Photos location.
2. Once you have located iCloud Photos Folder – Right click on it and then click on Pin to Quick Start in the contextual menu.
Using iCloud Drive
Using iCloud Drive, once it is installed and setup on your computer is as simple as saving files to a Folder, simply drag and drop files as you normally do on a Windows computer.
As mentioned above, any photos and videos that you take with your iPhone or iPad will be uploaded to iCloud and available on your computer. Similarly, any pictures and videos that you upload to iCloud drive through your computer will be accessible on your iPhone, iPad and iPod.