Apple’s cloud-based storage service lets you back up and synchronize email, calendar, contacts, photos, and files. You can access iCloud features from an iPhone or iPad, a Mac through System Preferences, and Windows PCs through the free iCloud for Windows desktop app. But there’s also an iCloud web page, where you can manage all synced files, locate a missing mobile device, set up passwords, and check your mail, calendar, photos, and other items.
Access iCloud Apps on iCloud.com
To access your iCloud account on the web, navigate to icloud.com. If you set up two-factor authentication with your Apple ID, you will be prompted to enter a verification code. Your iCloud page displays all the applications and tools supported by the service. These include Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Photos, iCloud Drive, Notes, Reminders, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, and Find iPhone. A link to your Account Settings also appears.
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.
iCloud Apps and Services
Click the Mail icon to view your iCloud mail account, where you can organize items and send or delete messages.
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 ones.
Click the Calendar icon to view your calendar appointments as well as create new ones and delete or modify existing ones.
By clicking Photos, you can 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.
Click iCloud Drive to view and open any files you have stored in your 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 those files.
You can click the Notes icon to view any notes backed up to iCloud as well as create new notes and revise or delete existing ones.
Click the Reminders icon to view your reminders, create new reminders, and modify or delete existing reminders.
By selecting the Pages, Numbers, or Keynote icons, you can create new documents for each program or view and manage any files stored in iCloud.
If you lose your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Mac, click Find iPhone to view a map that shows the location of all your Apple devices. To use this feature, you need to activate Find My iPhone on your iPhone or iPad via Settings > [Your Name] > Find My.
Manage Account Settings
You can access settings by clicking the Account Settings link under your picture. This will show your existing storage, any Apple devices registered to your Apple ID, iCloud+ features, and Family Sharing options. You can also 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. Click Restore Files, Restore Contacts, Restore Calendars, or Restore Bookmarks, then click Restore next to any items you wish to bring back.
The Account Settings screen will also allow you to sign out of any browsers that you are currently signed into by clicking Sign Out Of All Browsers at the very bottom of the screen.
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 Manage Apps That Can Look You Up.
iCloud for Windows
Windows users can also turn to a desktop application that provides all the same capabilities. Apple’s iCloud for Windows app gives you the ability to manage iCloud Drive, iCloud Photos, and bookmarks for Chrome and Firefox, as well as a password manager.
You also get shortcuts for Contacts, Calendar, Mail, and Notes added to the Start menu and iCloud Drive and iCloud Photos folders in File Explorer for easy access. Click on any of these shortcuts to open the iCloud website.
The iCloud password manager means those who already use iCloud Keychain on their mobile device to store and sync passwords can expand the reach to Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome. To get started, make sure the box next to iCloud Passwords is checked, then click Install Extension next to Edge or Chrome.
Follow the instructions to install the browser extension and any passwords you use will be synced across Safari, Edge, and Chrome on all your other devices. If you remove or change any passwords, they will then be synced across devices and browsers.
