Apple

ICloud Shared Folders – Works on iOS and macOS

  • iPad (6th gen.)
  • iPad (7th gen.)
  • iPad (8th gen.)
  • iPad (9th gen.)
  • iPad Air 2
  • iPad Air (3rd gen.)
  • iPad Air (4th gen.)
  • iPad mini 4
  • iPad mini (5th gen.)
  • iPad mini (6th gen.)
  • iPad Pro (all models)

And in the case of computers Mac it can be accessed from iCloud Drive, hosted in the Finder. The required software version is macOS Catalina 10.15.4 and later, so only these computers can access:

  • MacBook 2015 and later.
  • MacBook Air 2012 and later.
  • MacBook Pro 2012 and later.
  • Mac mini 2012 and later.
  • Mac Pro 2013 and later.
  • iMac 2012 and later.
  • iMac Pro (2017)

They can be used even on Windows and Android

Something you should know is that, although it is not natively through a dedicated application, iCloud shared folders are also on other non-Apple devices. That is Web way And this has certain limitations at a functional level, as well as slower uploading and downloading of files.

web icloud windows iphone

Yes indeed, you will need to have an Apple ID, since in order to access the folders you must log in with your account and password on the iCloud website. Once you do, you will see that a navigation panel appears there that includes iCloud Drive. It should be noted that also through the web you can access on Apple devices, but it is somewhat absurd having native access from their corresponding applications.

Create shared folders in iCloud

Already fully involved in tasks, you should know that in the end the shared folders are, neither more nor less, than normal and ordinary folders like the ones you probably already have in iCloud. They can be accessible from any of your devices, being able to add all kinds of elements (photos, videos, texts of different formats, compressed files, etc.).

The grace lies in the fact of being able to share them with other people, who will be able to access these folders in the same way and manage them in the same way as you. And although it depends on the permissions that we will explain later, you should know that in principle these people will be able to to make changes and you yourself will be able to appreciate them. That is, if someone deletes a document, it will be deleted for everyone, since it is a universal folder.

Steps to create and share it

The creation of this type of folders is very simple. There are two options: create a new or add people to an existing folder. Be that as it may, the steps at the end are the same.

On iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch:

  1. Open the Files app and go to “iCloud Drive.”
  2. If you want to create a new folder, create it by holding down anywhere and clicking on «New folder» or clicking on the icon with three dots at the top, finding the same option as «New folder» there.
  3. Locate the folder you want to share and hold your finger on it to open its options and choose “Share”.
  4. Now choose “Share folder on iCloud”.
  5. Click on the “Sharing options” part to set the permissions.
    • Who accesses: the people you invite or anyone who has the link.
    • Permissions: you can make changes or read only.
    • Option enabled (or not) so that other people can in turn add others if they wish.
  6. Press «Back» and now choose how you want to send the invitation among the different options that are given to you.
  7. Enter the email or phone number that corresponds to the Apple ID of the person you want to share the folder with.

shared folder icloud iphone

On Mac

  1. Open Finder and go to “iCloud Drive.”
  2. If you are going to create a new folder, right-click the mouse / trackpad and click “New Folder.”shared folder icloud mac
  3. Select the folder you want to share and right-click again to open the options, choosing Share> Share folder.
  4. At the bottom, in the drop-down options, choose the permissions:
    • Who you allow access to: people you invite or anyone who has the link.
    • Read and write permission or read only.
  5. Permissions for other people to add more members.
  6. Now choose above the method by which you want to share the folder and then click on the “Share button at the bottom”.

shared folder icloud mac permissions

Membership and permissions management

It is possible that once you have created the folder you have realized that you got confused with the permissions or simply, with the passage of time, you decide to change them. You will not need to create a new folder, but you will be able to edit the permissions that you already had. You can even do that each person has their own permissions.

To do this, you will simply have to follow steps similar to those mentioned above on iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Mac. The difference is that when you press the “Share” option, what will now appear will be something like “Manage shared folder.” If you click on this option, you will be allowed to change the permissions globally or individually for each member.

The same will happen if you want add or remove members. From this section you can delete them if you wish with an option that appears by clicking on each of them, in the same way that you will find in the panel the option to add more people, for which you will be given the same options as when you added them for the first time.

Add, edit and delete files

Regarding this matter, it must be said that there are not too many differences with the normal folder management that you can carry out on your devices. Both you as an administrator and any of the members with write permissions can send all the files they want there.

shared folder mac

About file modifications, such as a Pages or Word document, these will also be stored. This is because in the end all the documents and files that you store in the folder are accessible to everyone. So if someone made a change by mistake like deleting a document or modifying it inadvertently, sadly there will be no going back because for the rest it will also change.

Main faults that arise with this function

Not that this feature is usually problematic. In fact it works quite well and in a similar way to how other cloud storage services do. All the errors that may be caused are ultimately due to the same thing: internet connection problems.

They are problems such as that the changes made by another person do not appear or that another person does not see yours. Other problems such as the blank folder appears or you cannot open the documents. All this is due to not having internet on the device or having a too slow connection. It is true that sometimes Apple servers may fail, something that can take a few minutes to resolve, but in most cases it can be solved by trying to access from other devices.

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