10 Tips To Master ICloud Like A Pro

If you use an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you most likely also use iCloud. Apple’s online storage and data synchronization service is actually an essential element of the Apple ecosystem. On both iOS and macOS, when you initially configure your device, you will usually be asked to connect to it so that you can store backups of your data there.

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By default, iCloud provides all users with 5GB of storage for free. However, this offer only includes two features: storage space for your files, photos, backups and other documents, and automatic syncing of your data between all your devices connected to the same iCloud account.

To go beyond that 5GB of storage, you’ll definitely need to dig into your pockets and subscribe to an iCloud+ plan. Apple offers several paid plans for its service, with monthly prices of 0.99 euros for 50 GB of storage, 2.99 euros for 200 GB and 9.99 euros for 1 TB of storage.

However, in addition to access to additional storage, iCloud+ also offers access to many more features than the basic version of the service. For example, you can access the iCloud Private Relay service to protect your privacy while browsing Safari, or use the Hide My Email feature to create aliases to avoid revealing your personal address.

iCloud, as you probably understood, is much more than a simple cloud storage platform. Apple’s platform is full of resources that are often unknown to users. Here’s a quick overview of everything you need to know to master iCloud like a pro.

1. Share your iCloud storage with your family members

Are your 5GB of free storage full and have you finally decided on a paid iCloud+ subscription? Instead of keeping all that extra storage just for yourself, share it with everyone under your roof who uses an Apple device.

Family Sharing lets you share your iCloud+ subscription with up to five people in your area. In concrete terms, this means that your loved ones can also use the additional storage space included in your offer, but also benefit from additional features such as Private iCloud Relayor even the module Hide my email address.

To share your iCloud+ subscription with your loved ones, go to Settings (on iOS or macOS), then go to the menu associated with your Apple ID. Then select Family Sharingthen click Start a family. Then follow the onscreen instructions to invite your loved ones to your family group to benefit from Family Sharing.

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2. Access all your documents on iOS, macOS and online

The best way to access all your documents anywhere, anytime is to set up iCloud Drive on your various devices. To do this, go to Settingsthen in the attached menu Apple ID. Then enter the menu iCloudthen in iCloud Drive.

On macOS in addition to activating the option Sync this Myc, activate the option Office and documents to sync all files on your macOS desktop and in your Documents directory to the cloud. Then come in Apps sync with iCloud Driveand select all applications whose generated data documents should be synchronized with the cloud.

Repeat the same process on your iPhone. Open it Settingsthen in your menu Apple IDinput iCloudthen in iCloud Drive. Then go to it Apps sync with iCloud Driveand select the apps whose generated documents should be synced with iCloud.

Once these settings are in place, you can access all your documents from anywhere. At MacOSfind all your documents from the finderthrough the selection iCloud Drive in the left column.

Open the app on an iPhone or iPad filesthen in the tab Exploreinput iCloud Drive. You will then find all your documents there.

You can also access all of these directly via a web browser. However, for iPhone data, make sure you first make sure the option is enabled Access iCloud data on the web is activated Settings > Apple ID > iCloud. All you then have to do is connect to your iCloud account on icloud.com and select Drive to access your data.

3. Enjoy a free office suite in your web browser

Like many, you may not know it, but if you use iCloud you can access Apple’s Office suite for free. Comprised of Pages (word processor), Numbers (spreadsheet) and Keynote (presentation application), this suite of tools (free to download for iOS and macOS) can be used from any web browser such as Google Docs.

All documents you create in these apps are automatically backed up and synced to iCloud. You can therefore find and edit them from all your Apple devices.

4. View your photo library in any browser

Your photos and videos are probably synced to iCloud. You will therefore find them on your iPhone, your iPad or your Mac. But it’s also possible to access your photo library from any web browser. Simply log in to your account via icloud.com and select Pictures to view your photos in your web browser, just like you would with Google Photos.

5. Find your Apple devices

When you first set up your Apple devices, you probably enabled the Find My feature, which, as the name suggests, allows you to locate your devices. You can also locate your devices through iCloud (online or through the dedicated search application on iOS and macOS) and view their location on a map if you’ve misplaced them.

You can then take any necessary steps, such as: B. by calling them remotely to try to find them, marking them as lost to block them, and allowing your details to be contacted in case someone finds them. From this page, you can also remotely wipe your devices to erase any personal data they contain if you believe they are permanently lost.

6. Free up space on your storage

If you’re worried you’re about to reach your storage limit, it might be time to do a little cleaning to free up space, including deleting unnecessary data. To do this, open the Settings on your Mac or iPhone, then in the menu associated with yours Apple IDinput iCloud.

Then click on the button Administer displayed on the line Account storage space. Review each item included in the backup and click for those you don’t need Disable and remove from iCloud.

If you have multiple Apple devices (even old ones), go to the menu Backups For Delete backups from old devices that you no longer use it. This will definitely save you several gigabytes of storage space.

Then return to the previous menu and section Apps that use iCloudclick on View more apps. Next, disable any applications whose data you don’t want to store in iCloud.

7. Hide your IP address

If you have an iCloud+ subscription to get more storage, you also have access to additional features. Among other things, Relais Privé takes care of hiding your IP address and your browsing activity when you use Safari. The system protects unencrypted traffic from your Mac or iPhone to ensure your privacy.

To activate it, go to on your iPhone or Mac Settingsthen in the menu linked to yours Apple IDcall up the menu iCloud.

Under the title iCloud+click on Private relayand activate the function. In the area Location of the IP addressTwo options are offered: Maintain general positionAnd Use country and time zone.

The first option allows you to continue receiving targeted content with the IP address close to your geographical location. The second uses an IP that corresponds to a larger geographical area but is still in your country and time zone.

8. Name a legatee contact

What happens to your personal information stored in iCloud after you die? If you’ve ever asked yourself this question, you know that Apple has already answered it. Since 2021 (and the release of iOS 15), the Cupertino company has offered a feature that allows you to name an old contact. Specifically, iCloud allows you to specify a trusted person who can take control of your account and manage the personal data it contains after you pass the gun to the left. You can configure your legacy contact by going to Settings > Your Username > Connection and Security > Legatee Contact.

The procedure to follow to designate a legatee contact is nothing insurmountable and should only take a few minutes.

9. Recover accidentally deleted files

As with any storage medium, it may happen that you accidentally delete certain files. Don’t panic if this happens to you, files deleted from iCloud can be recovered. You can restore files, but also Safari bookmarks, contacts from your address book or even calendars. You also have around thirty days to do this.

To recover deleted files from iCloud, sign in Your iCloud account online. Go to the bottom of the page and click Data recovery.

Then enter the section corresponding to the items you want to recover, select the files to recover, and then click Restore.

10. Enable enhanced data protection

Since the beginning of 2023, Apple has offered an option that enables end-to-end encryption of your data in iCloud. This option, which is not enabled by default, protects your data by allowing decryption from trusted devices only with a password that only you know. So this means that if the option is available, you are the only captain on board who can decrypt this data. So if you forget the protection password, decryption of your backup will not be possible, resulting in loss of your data. Still, you probably care enough about protecting your most sensitive data to take this risk.

To end-to-end encrypt the data contained in your iCloud backups, go to Settings. Click on your Apple IDand then enter the menu iCloud.

Then enter the menu Advanced data protectionand click Enable enhanced data protection. Apple should then invite you to do so Configure account recovery. You’ll need to provide a recovery contact or create a backup key so you can regain access to your account if you forget your password.

Follow all instructions in the Advanced Data Protection Setup Wizard to complete setting up end-to-end encryption for your iCloud backups.