Are you a Windows user? You can still make use of the possibilities that Apple’s iCloud has to offer. For example, you can transfer files from your iPhone via iCloud Drive through your Windows computer. Also, you will have a place where the pictures appear that you have taken with the iPhone. iCloud on Windows can synchronize your bookmarks from your favorite websites and the information in Mail, Contacts, Calendar and Reminders synchronize with Outlook. In this tip, we show how to set up iCloud for Windows.
Method 1: iCloud.com
By far the easiest way to access the iCloud services is to login on iCloud.com. Only an Apple ID is here required. On other unsupported operating systems like Ubuntu, you can access iCloud this way. Need iCloud features rarely, then it is not necessary to install the software.
Method 2: Install iCloud on Windows
To use iCloud on Windows, you need an Apple ID. In addition, you need at least an iPhone or iPad with iOS 5 or later.
To synchronize e-mail messages, contacts, calendar appointments and reminders, you need at least Microsoft Outlook 2007. You also need to have iCloud Drive enabled to use all the functions on Windows, so upgrade your iCloud account to iCloud Drive if you have not done so yet.
iCloud setup for Windows
Perform the following steps to install iCloud for Windows on your PC:
- Download the program iCloud for Windows and install it on your computer.
- Restart the computer.
- Open the program for Windows iCloud if it does not start automatically. Fill in your Apple ID and password.
- Now the program is opened. Tick the iCloud services that you want to use on your PC. Then press ‘Apply’.
As you can see in the screenshot above, the option for Outlook does not appear and the program leads you instead to iCloud.com. The Outlook option only appears if you have installed the program on your PC. iCloud selects your default browser to synchronize your web bookmarks. In our case, we use Chrome, but you can also choose Firefox and Internet Explorer.
Where are my iCloud files?
If you’ve set up iCloud for Windows, new items such as iCloud Drive and iCloud Photos appear in the sidebar of Windows Explorer.
If you click on iCloud Drive, you see, for example, all folders and files from iCloud Drive. Here you can open, edit and save as usual. The information is then synchronized with the iCloud server, so your changes appear right away also on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. You can also add new files to iCloud Drive.
iCloud photos on Windows
If you click on iCloud photos in Explorer it displays all the photos you’ve shared, and your Photo Stream (if you have enabled the Photo Stream option on the iPhone or iPad). Here you can view all the photos you’ve shot on the iPhone and iPad, and even the photos you’ve shared from your Mac via Photo Stream. From this place, you can move or delete photos easily.
References
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204283
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204025