For a long time, you could only share individual files in iCloud Drive, not folders. It was boring and inefficient. Although beta versions of iOS 13 and macOS Catalina implemented iCloud Drive folder sharing, the functionality was surprisingly lost from the public releases. So how do you share iCloud Drive folders from iPhone, Mac or iCloud.com?
Fortunately, Apple has reintroduced the functionality with the iOS 13.4 and macOS Catalina 10.15.4 updates. That’s why it’s incredibly easy to share entire iCloud Drive folders with others if you’re using an iPhone, iPad, or Mac with the latest system software updates installed.
To make things even better, you can also use the iCloud Drive web app on iCloud.com to share folders. Without further ado, let’s check out how this functionality works on iPhone, iPad, Mac and iCloud.com.
Note: An iCloud account is required to access shared iCloud Drive folders.
Share iCloud Drive Folders – iPhone and iPad
Sharing folders stored in iCloud Drive is possible on any iPhone or iPad running iOS/iPadOS 13.4 or later. If you haven’t updated your device yet, go to Settings > General > Software Update and install any pending updates.
You can then use the Files app to share iCloud Drive folders. The whole process involves setting permissions for the folder, choosing a shareable medium, and then adding the people you want to share it with.
Stage 1: Open the Files app on your iPhone or iPad. Select iCloud Drive from the list of storage locations and navigate to the folder you want to share. Long press the folder and then select Share.
Step 2: Select Add People on Share Sheet. On the next screen, tap Sharing Options.
Stage 3: Use the Who Can Access and Permission categories to define who can access the folder (private or public) and what permissions people have (edit or view only).
After that, go back to the previous screen and use iMessage, Mail, Slack, etc. to share the folder. choose an environment. You can also choose Copy Link if you want to share the invite manually – ideal for public links.
Step 4: Add the people you want to share the folder with and then send the invitation or copy the link to your clipboard.
You can also change the properties of a shared folder later; Long press the shared folder, tap Share, then Show Contacts.
On the Contacts screen that appears, you can add or remove contacts, change permissions, or stop sharing the folder altogether.
Share iCloud Drive Folders – Mac
If you’re using a Mac with macOS Catalina 10.15.4 or later, you can easily share folders stored in iCloud Drive with others using the Finder. If you haven’t updated your Mac yet, go to Apple menu > System Preferences > Software Update to do so.
Stage 1: Open Finder, select iCloud Drive, and then navigate to the folder you want to share. Right-click the folder, point to Share, and then select Add People.
Step 2: Expand Sharing Options and then change the permissions as you see fit. Finally, select the media where you want to share the folder and then click Share.
To later change the properties of a shared folder, right-click the folder, point to Share, and click Show People.
Change existing permissions, add or remove people, or stop sharing the folder.
Click Done to save your changes.
Share iCloud Drive Folders – iCloud.com
The iCloud Drive web app on iCloud.com also lets you share folders with others. The folder sharing process is similar to that of an iPhone or Mac. However, you must manually share the link yourself.
Stage 1: Sign in to iCloud.com with your Apple ID, then select iCloud Drive.
Step 2: Go to the folder you want to share. Click to select the folder, and then click the Add Contact icon.
Stage 3: Change the sharing permissions as you see fit, add the people to share the folder with (if ‘Only people you invite’ is selected), then click Share.
Step 4: Copy the link to your clipboard. You can then share it with others via email or any other medium.
If you want to change the sharing properties later, select the shared folder again and then click the Show People icon.
Add or remove people, change permissions, or stop sharing the folder altogether.
Click Done to save your changes.
Smarter Sharing
iCloud Drive’s folder sharing capabilities give you a lot of flexibility. You can easily let people add files to folders, edit items, or restrict viewing only. Native productivity tools like Keynote, Pages, and Numbers also work seamlessly with shared folders; Simply add a document to the shared folder to start collaborating. Great stuff, Apple.
Next: Do you want to download all data stored in iCloud? Click the next article link to learn how to download your data from iCloud.
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