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iCloud Online Apps

 & Lance Whitney Contributor

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As Apple's cloud storage service, iCloud lets you back up and synchronize your email, calendar, contacts, photos, and other items. The service works with iPhone, iPad, Mac, and even PC and can be accessed a number of ways to view and manage your stored content.

The iCloud web page is your primary way of accessing the service so you can view and manage all synced files as well as locate a missing mobile device. Windows users can also get to their content through the free iCloud for Windows desktop application or the iCloud Windows 10 app. You can check your mail, calendar, photos, and other items to make sure they're in sync with your device.

iCloud Online Apps

Navigate to icloud.com, then sign in with your Apple ID and enter the two-factor verification code if prompted. Your iCloud page then appears, displaying all the applications and tools supported by the service. These include Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Photos, iCloud Drive, Notes, Reminders, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Find Friends, and Find iPhone. A link to your Account Settings also appears.

Sync App Data

To access these apps and view their respective data on the web, you'll need to make sure you're syncing the data with iCloud. On your iPhone, navigate to Settings > [your name] > iCloud. Under apps using iCloud, turn on the switch for those you'd like to sync.

Mail

Click the Mail icon to view your iCloud mail account, where you can organize items and send or delete messages.

Contacts

Click the Contacts icon to view all the contacts in the address book that you're syncing with iCloud. You can also create new contacts as well as modify or delete existing contact information. 

Calendar

Click the Calendar icon to view your calendar appointments as well as create new ones and delete or modify existing ones.

Photos

Click the Photos icon to view any photos being synced with iCloud. You can also upload new photos, delete or download existing photos, and share any photos via email or Facebook.

iCloud Drive

Click the icon for iCloud Drive to view and open any files you have stored in iCloud Drive, Apple's file-syncing and storage service. You can also email, download, and delete any file as well as upload new files and create new folders to house your files.  

Notes

Click the Notes icon to view any notes backed up to iCloud as well as create new notes and revise or delete existing ones.

Reminders

Click the Reminders icon to view your reminders, create new reminders, and modify or delete existing reminders.

Pages, Numbers, and Keynote

Click Pages, Numbers, or Keynote to create new documents or view and manage any files stored in iCloud.

Find Friends

As the web version of Apple’s Find My app, you can click Find Friends to view a map that shows the location of any person who has chosen to share their location with you via iPhone or iPad.

Find iPhone

Similarly, click Find iPhone if you have lost one of your own devices. You can view a map that shows the location of your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Mac. To use this feature, you need to have activated Find My iPhone on your iPhone or iPad. To check this on your mobile device, go to Settings > [Your Name] > Find My. If you don’t want this feature to track your location, turn it off from the appropriate device.

Account Settings

Click Account Settings to view your existing iCloud storage and any Apple devices to which you’re currently signed in.

Restore Files

At the Settings page, you can also try to restore any files, contacts, calendars, reminders, and bookmarks that have been deleted from iCloud. To do this, click one of the links at the bottom of the page in the Advanced section, such as Restore Files, Restore Contacts, Restore Calendars, or Restore Bookmarks. From the Restore window, click the item you want to restore and then click Done.

iCloud Windows 10 App

If you’re on a Windows 10 PC, you can access iCloud through the iCloud for Windows app, which offers similar functionality to Microsoft OneDrive. Downloading the app from the Microsoft Store allows you to access your iCloud Drive files directly from File Explorer without taking up space on your PC. You can choose which files and folders you want to keep on your PC and access them from your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or from iCloud.com. iCloud files can also be directly shared from the File Explorer window.

iCloud Desktop App

The iCloud Desktop Control Panel is an option Windows 7, 8.1, and 10 users. This program allows you to access each individual feature (Contacts, Calendar, Mail Notes, etc.) from the Start menu. Clicking on a shortcut for any feature then brings you to iCloud.com.

Manage Privacy

You can also sign out of any browsers that you are currently signed into by clicking the Sign Out Of All Browsers link. Certain apps also allow people to find you based on your Apple ID. If you want to see which apps allow this, or want to turn this capability off, click the link that says Manage Apps That Can Look You Up.

About Our Expert

Lance Whitney

Lance Whitney

Contributor

My Experience

I've been working for PCMag since early 2016 writing tutorials, how-to pieces, and other articles on consumer technology. Beyond PCMag, I've written news stories and tutorials for a variety of other websites and publications, including CNET, ZDNet, TechRepublic, Macworld, PC World, Time, US News & World Report, and AARP Magazine. I spent seven years writing breaking news for CNET as one of the site’s East Coast reporters. I've also written two books for Wiley & Sons—Windows 8: Five Minutes at a Time and Teach Yourself Visually LinkedIn.

My Areas of Expertise

I've used Windows, Office, and other Microsoft products for years so I'm well versed in that world. I also know the Mac quite well. I'm always working with iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and Android on my various mobile devices. And these days, I write a lot about AI, so that's become another key area for me.

The Tech I Use

My wife always jokes about all the tech products we have around the house, but I manage to put them to good use for my articles. I like Lenovo computers, so I own a couple of Lenovo desktops and several laptops. I have three MacBooks and a Mac mini. For my mobile life and work, I use an iPhone 16 Pro, iPad Pro, and iPad mini as well as an Apple Watch. But since I write about Android, I own several Android phones and tablets. Like any tech person, I have a cabinet full of cables, wires, and assorted mysterious gadgets. And when it's time to take a break from writing, I have an old Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii, both of which I use for exercise and fitness games.

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