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How do I access iCloud storage on Mac?

October 21, 2025 - By 

On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Apple ID, select iCloud in the sidebar, then click Options next to iCloud Drive. If you don't see Options next to iCloud Drive, make sure iCloud Drive is turned on. Select Desktop & Documents Folders. Click Done.

Keeping this in consideration, how do I see what's in my iCloud storage on Mac?

See how much iCloud storage you're using

  1. On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud.
  2. On your Mac, go to Apple menu ? > System Preferences > Apple ID > iCloud.
  3. On your PC, open iCloud for Windows.
  4. On a supported browser, sign in to iCloud.com, then click Account Settings.

Additionally, how do I buy iCloud storage on my Mac? Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Manage Storage or iCloud Storage. Tap Buy More Storage or Change Storage Plan. Choose a plan. Tap Buy and follow the onscreen instructions.

Similarly, you may ask, how do I access files in iCloud?

👉 For more insights, check out this resource.

To do this, head to the iCloud website in your Android Chrome browser. Tap the hamburger menu icon in the top-right corner and then select the “Add to Home Screen” option. You'll need to give your iCloud PWA a suitable name. Use the default “iCloud” name or rename it and then tap the “Add” button to confirm.

How do I view photos stored in iCloud?

👉 Discover more in this in-depth guide.

How to view iCloud Photos on Android

  1. Open a web browser on your Android device.
  2. Go to icloud.com.
  3. Tap the Settings button (three-dot icon) on the browser page.
  4. Select Desktop Site. It will change the site into a desktop version.

Table of Contents

How do I get more iCloud storage without buying it?

How to free up space in iCloud
  1. Check your space. To see how much space you are using, enter Settings on your iPhone or iPad, select iCloud, click Storage, followed by Manage Storage.
  2. Delete old backups. There is a good chance that your backups are taking up most of your space.
  3. Change backup settings.
  4. Alternative photo services.

Why is iCloud drive stored on my Mac?

iCloud is Apple's cloud solution. iCloud Drive seeks to take on Google Drive and become the one-stop-shop for every file and photo on your devices. It's important to note that if you use iCloud Drive across a number of Mac devices, files edited within the Desktop or Documents folders will sync across the board.

How do I see what's in my iCloud backup?

Here's how to find your iCloud backups on your iOS or iPadOS device, Mac, or PC. On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch: Using iOS 11 or later, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Backup.

On your Mac:

  1. Choose Apple (?) menu > System Preferences.
  2. Click iCloud.
  3. Click Manage.
  4. Select Backups.

How do I remove files from iCloud but keep them on Mac?

Go to System Preferences/iCloud/iCloud Drive/Options and turn off Documents and Desktop syncing. Check your Documents and Desktop to make sure all your files are there. If you have all your files, you can delete them from iCloud.

How do I clean out my iCloud?

How to delete iCloud backups on your iPhone or iPad
  1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Tap on your Apple ID right at the top.
  3. Tap on iCloud.
  4. Tap Manage Storage under iCloud.
  5. Tap Backup.
  6. Tap the device whose backup you want to delete.
  7. Tap Delete Backup at the bottom.
  8. Tap Turn Off & Delete.

What is the difference between iCloud and icloud drive?

While iCloud is a storage service, the iCloud Drive is Apple's version of Dropbox. It is cloud-based, making sharing of all the data on the drive much easier. It also allows users to sync contents between devices. For example, you access photos in the iCloud drive via the photos app.

How do I see what has been stored on iCloud?

You can easily see what is stored within iCloud from any iPhone or iPad:
  1. Open Settings and go to “iCloud”
  2. Tap on “Storage & Backup” then tap “Manage Storage”
  3. Look under “Documents & Data” to see which apps have iCloud documents available – note that both iOS and OS X apps storing documents in iCloud will be seen here.

How do I retrieve pics from iCloud?

You can preview your photos kept in iCloud even while using your Android device.

How to view iCloud Photos on Android

  1. Open a web browser on your Android device.
  2. Go to icloud.com.
  3. Tap the Settings button (three-dot icon) on the browser page.
  4. Select Desktop Site. It will change the site into a desktop version.

How do I access my backed up files on iCloud?

Locate and manage backups stored in iCloud

On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch: Using iOS 11 or later, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Backup. Using iOS 10.3, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud. Tap the graph that shows your iCloud usage, then tap Manage Storage.

Does my Mac automatically backup to iCloud?

Apple provides 5 GB of space for free when you sign up for iCloud. So, if you only wish to use this space, choose your most important documents and data to back up. iCloud will now automatically sync the data you have chosen to backup MacBook Pro to iCloud.

How do I download files from iCloud?

Use these steps to download files stored in iCloud Drive, or files that are accessible from iWork apps on iCloud.com:
  1. Sign in to iCloud.com.
  2. Open iCloud Drive.
  3. Find and select the file.
  4. Click Download at the top of the page or double-click the file. The document downloads to your default downloads location.

How do I access backup files on iCloud?

Locate and manage backups stored in iCloud

On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch: Using iOS 11 or later, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Backup. Using iOS 10.3, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud. Tap the graph that shows your iCloud usage, then tap Manage Storage.

How do I sync iCloud drive to my computer?

Set up iCloud for Windows
  1. Download iCloud for Windows.
  2. Restart your computer.
  3. Make sure iCloud for Windows is open.
  4. Enter your Apple ID to sign in to iCloud.
  5. Choose the features and content that you want to keep up to date across your devices.
  6. Click Apply.

Why is Apple storage so expensive?

A big contributor to Apple's margins is what they charge for larger storage capacities. To upgrade the base storage config from 64GB to 256GB costs $150, or $0.78/GB. If you upgrade to the new 1TB version, that is also $0.78/GB.

Is iCloud storage worth buying?

iCloud storage pricing

If you've run out of the 5 GB of free iCloud space and are getting messages saying your device hasn't been backed up in x amount of days or weeks it is usually well worth $0.99/month for the 50 GB plan. Most users will be fine with 50 GB for a good amount of time if you've run over the free 5 GB.

Do I have to pay every month for iCloud storage?

iCloud Storage is the total amount of storage space available on iCloud. It's what you pay for. Everybody gets 5GB (gigabytes) for free. You can upgrade your storage to 50GB, 200GB, or 1TB (1 terabyte is 1000 gigabytes), and the monthly fees aren't too bad – but it's not necessary.

What happens if I DOn't pay my iCloud storage?

If your data in iCloud exceed the storage plan you paid for, iCloud will stop working for you. DOn't risk anything. If you downgrade your storage plan and your content exceeds the storage you have available, new photos and videos won't upload to iCloud Photo Library and your devices stop backing up to iCloud.

What do I do when my iCloud storage is full?

iCloud storage is full: 7 tips on how to clear iCloud storage
  1. See what is taking space in iCloud.
  2. Download iCloud photos to PC.
  3. Delete files from iCloud Drive.
  4. Clean your mailbox.
  5. Delete old iCloud backups.
  6. Save WhatsApp backups to PC.
  7. Organize contacts, calendars, notes, reminders.

Does iCloud take up space on my computer?

iCloud Drive helps you access the files on iCloud. Most of the time this feature is there to protect the data on your computer from loss and save storage on your computer as well. However, some people find this doesn't save space at all, the photos and files are still occupying large storage of their computers.

Can I delete photos from iCloud but not iPhone?

To delete photos from the cloud, delete them from iCloud Photo Library. If you don't want pictures to be sent to the cloud at all in the future, you'd have to go to settings, iCloud, photos and turn off the iCloud Photo Library. UNLESS you want a photo taken on your iPhone to appear on you other Apple devices.