How To Share Files Between iPhone and PC Using iCloud for Windows

Though you can avoid this method by simply buying a Mac Book, if you are still making use of a Windows PC then this post will be of immense help to you. Sharing of files between an iPhone and Windows PC has been made easier by simply using Apple iCloud. If you really want to know the simples, then you should read on as this post expose the simple steps on how to share files between iPhone and PC by using iCloud for Windows.

The iCloud for Windows is a utility officially created by Apple, which synchronizes files, photos, and information with your Windows PC. While using this method is okay, it does not really provide access to all of iCloud’s features and it has some limitations too. But it still does the job of sharing files between iPhone and PC.

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Using iCloud for Windows to Share Files Between iPhone and PC

All iCloud for Windows can seamlessly sync files, photos, and your bookmarks with Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Google Chrome. If you are making use of Microsoft Outlook 2010 or later, apart from being able to access your email, you can also sync your iPhone’s contacts, reminders, and calendars.

How To Install iCloud for Windows

Follow these simple steps if you want to install iCloud for Windows on you r PC.

• First of all download iCloud for Windows from Apple’s support page
• Run iCoudSetup.exe to start the installation. When the installation is complete, you will need to restart your computer
• When your PC comes up, you will be prompted to log into iCloud by entering your Apple ID and password
• Finally, at the iCloud preferences screen, select the configuration that suits you. If you are using the Google Chrome browser, you will be prompted to install the Chrome Extension for Safari Bookmarks.

After the installation, your data starts to sync. The speed at which the data syncs depends on the volume of data you have in iCloud and the speed of your internet connection. This means you should actually be patient because it will definitely take some time.

Exploring iCloud for Windows

After you might have successfully installed the iCloud for Windows, you will observe that your Windows taskbar now contains an iCloud icon. This provides you with shortcuts that you can use to manually download and upload photos, accessing your iCloud drive folder on your PC, and also quick access to iCloud.com

File and Photo sharing

When you launch Windows File Explorer on your PC, you will notice a couple of new folders and Quick access additions; iCloud Drive and iCloud Photos.

• iCloud Drive: This drive contains all the files and folders you saved to your iCloud Drive, which also includes Apple Pages, Keynotes, and Numbers files, plus other iOS apps that uses iCloud Drive. Of course, there may not be an equivalent App on your PC to open these files, for certain file types though you’ll have no issues, for example, opening/editing Microsoft Office files and PDFs.

Handy hint – if you’re running iOS 10 you can also access your iCloud files on your iPhone via Apple’s iCloud Drive app. iOS 11 users can use the new Files app to access files from their iPhones.

• iCloud Photos– Within the iCloud Photos folder you will find three other self explanatory folders:

Downloads – Contains all your photos that reside in your Photo’s app on your iPhone.

Uploads – Photos placed here will be uploaded automatically to the Photos app on your iPhone.

Shared – From within this folder, right click to create a shared album.

One good thing about this feature is that if your invitees are not iOS users, you can choose to make the pictures visible via a web link. This is identical to iOS’ photos sharing from within the Photos and it’s good to see it here.

Microsoft Outlook

If you are making use of Microsoft Outlook, you will now be able to see your iCloud calendars, contacts, and reminders as displayed in the image below. These are perfect sync, and it means that adding or deleting items from your PC or iPhone will be reflected on the other device.

Limitations

• Unlike Photos, you cannot share files from your PC with other users.
• Photos do not respect your folders/albums from the Photos app on iOS.
• Notes not synced with Microsoft Outlook.
• Unless you are running Microsoft Outlook, there is no way to seamlessly sync your iPhone Contacts, Calendar, and Reminders.

Conclusion

If you are one of those seeking information on how to share files between iPhone and PC, then this method of using iCloud for Windows could be all you need. The approach makes it easier for you to share your iPhone’s information with your Windows PC. If there are other useful utilities you have been using to achieve this purpose, kindly share them by using the comment box below. Also, use the social media icons found on this pass this message across to your friend on various social media.