How to use iCloud Drive’s new Desktop and Documents access in macOS Sierra
If you want to rely on this feature, make sure you have enough iCloud Drive storage space. All files saved to Desktop and Documents count against your iCloud Drive storage allocation. For example, if you have 1GB worth of files in your Mac’s Documents folder and you want to save it to iCloud Drive, your allocated storage will take a 1GB hit. Apple provides 5GB of free iCloud Drive storage per Apple ID, and it may not be enough. Here are the prices for iCloud storage upgrades:
Apple has instructions on how to buy more iCloud storage.
Here’s an overview on how iCloud Drive’s Desktop and Documents access works. I used a 13-inch MacBook Pro running the macOS Sierra Public Beta 2. (I’ll update this article if changes are made in beta updates and the official released version.)
That’s all you have to do to activate it. iCloud needs a few minutes for your files to save to iCloud; how long depends on how many files you have.
When you go to your iCloud Drive through the web, there are now Desktop and Documents folders.
The files you saved to these folders on your Sierra Mac are accessible through the iCloud Drive website. If you save files to the website, they will be synced to you Sierra Mac. If you delete files on the website, they will be deleted from your Sierra Mac.
Your iOS device can access files in the Desktop and Documents folder if you have iCloud Drive turn on on your device. This can be done in Settings > iCloud > iCloud Drive, and then turn on the Show on Home Screen setting.
Tap on the iCloud Drive app on your Home screen. You’ll see the folders you can access, including Desktop and Documents. Tap on a folder, and you can get to the files.
To get to the iCloud Drive Desktop or Documents folders from a different Mac, iCloud Drive access first need to be turned on through the iCloud system preference (Apple Menu > System Preferences > iCloud).
iCloud Drive will appear under Favorites in any Finder window. If you’re in the Finder, you can also click on the Go menu and select iCloud Drive, or you can press Shift-Command-I.
If you’re using another Sierra Mac, then the files will automatically appear in that Mac’s Desktop and Documents folder, provided that that Mac has internet access.
In Sierra, you may notice that in a Finder window, Desktop and Documents appear in the right column under iCloud, and not in Favorites as in previous versions of OS X.
If the other Mac you are using doesn’t have Sierra, you can still access the Desktop and Documents folders that were created by the Sierra Mac. You will need internet access.
In a Finder window, iCloud Drive appears under Favorites. Also, in the Finder, you can click on the Go menu and select iCloud Drive, or press Shift-Command-I. Go to the iCloud Drive, and you’ll see Desktop and Documents folders. You can access the files from the Sierra Mac this way.
However, there are a few things to note:
To copy files from the iCloud Drive Desktop or Documents folders when using a non-Sierra Mac, you have to hold down the Option key while dragging and dropping, or right-click the file and select Copy, then on your non-Sierra Mac, right-click on the destination and select Paste Item.
Sierra is currently in beta, which means there’s a chance changes could be made to how this all works. This article will be updated appropriately.