How does iCloud work? A guide to storage, syncing, and backups
How does iCloud work? Because it’s one of those things that every Apple user relies on, but, honestly, doesn’t truly understand the function.
In the background, it syncs all your precious photos, files, passwords, and even settings across your various devices. But it’s not until you get the dreaded Storage Full warning that you start to wonder, " How does this tool really work?” So let me break it all down, so you can use it to the fullest.
What is iCloud?
iCloud comes built into every Apple device, and at its core, it’s a storage and syncing tool that lets you store whatever you choose on Apple servers and access and sync that data across all your Apple devices (even a Windows PC).
There’s a free 5GB storage tier that's been around since iCloud launched in 2011, replacing MobileMe.
The other big thing to understand is that iCloud is not the same as iCloud Drive. iCloud, I would say, is the main service, while iCloud Drive is just one smaller part of it.
How does iCloud syncing work?
iCloud basically keeps a current version of your data in the cloud and pushes it to your other devices, including any changes. So, if you edit a note on your Mac, that’ll sync across your iPhone and iPad too.
But you shouldn’t get sync mixed up with backup, because they are two very, very different things.
Sync is essentially live mirroring that works across your Photos, Contacts, Calendar, Notes, Safari browsing data, keychain, and iCloud Drive. Don’t forget, when you delete something like a photo on your iPhone, that deletes everywhere too, that’s synced (but you do have the 30-day recently deleted safety net).
Backup is totally different; it creates a copy of your data that isn’t yet synced to your iCloud. This backup happens automatically when your device is connected to power and a network and is locked.
If you’ve ever seen the Optimize Storage feature on your Mac or iPhone, it’s worth setting up the recommendations, because it lets you keep smaller file versions locally, saving space on your actual device, with the originals stored and ready to download at any time.
iCloud storage: How does it work
You might be surprised at all the categories that are included in iCloud storage:
|
Included in iCloud Storage |
Not included in iCloud storage |
|
Photos and videos |
Purchased apps |
|
iCloud Drive files |
Purchased music |
|
Device backups |
Purchased books/movies |
|
Mail in iCloud Mail |
App downloads from Apple |
|
Notes, depending on sync/data use |
Some synced Apple service metadata |
|
Passwords & Keychain |
|
|
App Data (Messages, Health, Wallet, Home) |
|
|
Safari bookmarks, tabs, and history |
|
|
System settings and preferences |
iCloud storage plans and pricing
Honestly, the free 5 GB is just not enough; that will quickly disappear with the amount of photos the average user has these days.
iCloud has a few different tiers: 50 GB for $0.99 per month, 200 GB for $2.99 per month, 2 TB for $9.99 per month, 6 TB for $29.99 per month, and 12 TB for $59.99 per month.
iCloud+ also includes extras like Private Relay, Hide My Email, and Custom Email Domain, and Apple says paid storage can be shared with family through Family Sharing.
iCloud problems and fixes
iCloud Storage Full notification
Check System Settings > Apple Account > iCloud to see what is actually using up all your space.
When your photos aren’t syncing
Check three things: If iCloud Photos is turned on. If the device has enough free local storage to work properly, and finally, if your internet connection is stable.
Files seem to be missing from iCloud Drive
Open Finder and look in your iCloud Drive first, then go to icloud.com. If Optimize Storage has offloaded the local copy, then the file is still in iCloud, just not fully stored on your Mac anymore.
Sync conflicts
When the same file is edited on different devices, before everything fully updates, you’ll need to let iCloud catch up and check for duplicate versions.
I also use the Cleanup feature from CleanMyMac to remove any redundant local clutter, think of system junk, old caches, or unused app data on my Mac; there's no point in syncing any junk to your iCloud. You can test it for 7 days free — get your free trial here.
iCloud vs other cloud services
If you’re in the Apple universe, then taking advantage of iCloud and iCloud storage is just logical. It’s native, so compared to other big players like Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox, iCloud is built into your OS and offers end-to-end encryption for certain sensitive categories by default, like Health data and passwords in iCloud Keychain.
But I’m not saying it's the only option, as I said earlier, it’s a free tier, it's just too small, it doesn’t really have any comprehensive cross-platform support either, and sometimes that differentiation between sync and backup is more confusing than it should be.
I personally use a mix. I stick with iCloud for all things Apple ecosystem, and use other tools when I'm working on larger projects with members using different devices.
If you run several cloud services side by side, then use Cloud Cleanup from CleanMyMac to keep the local caches from Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive from quietly eating up Mac storage over time.
Now you know how iCloud works.