Installation is relatively straightforward:įirst you must set up iCloud on an Apple device (Mac, iPad, iPhone), after which you must download the iCloud for Windows app to your compatible Windows PC, install it, launch it and sign in with the Apple ID you created on your Apple device. How do I download and install iCloud for Windows? There is one snag – if you use a managed Apple ID then iCloud for Windows will not be supported.
Once installed and set-up, iCloud for Windows lets you work seamlessly with iCloud on your PC – making it super-easy if you use a Windows machine at work, a Mac at home and an iPhone or iPad at other times. The effect is that items stored in iCloud will appear as if they are on your PC even if they are not, and can be accessed and shared as if they are part of your system. The idea is that the cloud files API lets third-party developers (such as, in this case, Apple) create apps that store data in the cloud in such a way as to make it easily available to end user devices – precisely what iCloud does on Apple’s systems.
‘downloaded’) to you system, a Microsoft tech note suggests. This works by providing you with small (1k) placeholder files, any of which can be ‘hydrated’ (ie. What is Files On-Demand?įiles on Demand relies on a newly-introduced Windows tech called the cloud files API, which formalizes support for sync engines.
Starting in August 2021, Apple added support for iCloud passwords for Windows users running the latest iteration of iCloud for Windows. The iCloud Passwords app lets you check your account information, update it, delete it, and add new accounts and will automatically sync across all your iCloud.
Select the browser(s) you use and prefer by clicking on the Options button to the right.Once installed on a supported Windows 10 system, iCloud for Windows lets you access your files on iCloud Drive, Photos, Mail, Contacts, Calendars and Tasks (with Outlook), and your Safari Bookmarks – you just need to log-in with your Apple ID.Īnnouncing the app on Microsoft’s Windows blog, Microsoft Engineering General Manager Giorgio Sardo revealed that one of the big improvements in iCloud for Windows is that Apple’s app now uses the same tech that powers OneDrive’s Files On-Demand feature, “enabling users to be more productive offline on mobile devices and quickly share files on iOS.”