iCloud Drive is very useful. It ensures that you can work on a document on one Apple device and then retrieve it on any other device via your iCloud. But what do you do when iCloud Drive isn’t working?
iCloud Drive is not working
ICloud sync allows you to access files in iCloud Drive on any Apple device. So you can, for example, create documents on your Mac and then edit them on your iPhone. As useful as this feature is, it can get stuck. When that happens, the Drive will stop syncing, so no new files will be uploaded to iCloud Drive.
When this happens, the best thing to do is try to force restart your device first. If that doesn’t help, it’s best to restore iCloud Drive. You do that as follows.
First, backup your files
First of all, go to the iCloud website and log in with your Apple ID. Make sure all files are in iCloud. It is also wise to make a backup of your files, so that you do not lose anything. You can do this by putting your files on a USB stick or external hard drive, for example.
Restore iCloud Drive on your Mac
When your files are safe, you can restore your iCloud Drive. This is how you do that on your MacBook:
- Go to System Preferences from the Apple menu;
- Click on ‘Apple ID’ at the top right of the window;
- Then click on ‘iCloud’ in the sidebar on the left;
- Then uncheck the box next to ‘iCloud Drive’.
If all your files are safe in iCloud or elsewhere, then it’s best to choose Delete from Mac. As soon as you reactivate the function, it may be that macOS uploads your files twice. When you click this option, all files you have uploaded to iCloud Drive will be deleted.
After disabling iCloud Drive, it is important to restart your MacBook. Then follow the steps above again and tick iCloud Drive again. Your files will be uploaded again to your iCloud Drive.
Restore iCloud Drive on iPhone or iPad
Don’t have a MacBook handy? Then it is also possible to restore your iCloud Drive on your iPhone or iPad. That is how it works:
- Open the Settings app and tap your name;
- Then tap on ‘iCloud’;
- Turn off the switch behind ‘iCloud Drive’.
Shut down your iPhone or iPad and follow the steps again to turn iCloud Drive back on.
Other solutions
If iCloud Drive still doesn’t work, you can also try turning off and reactivating iCloud Drive on all your Apple devices. You can also try to restore your iCloud completely. You do this by logging out on all your devices and logging in again. Always backup your data first so that you can safely delete the files from your devices.
Do you want more helpful solutions about iCloud problems? On iPhone we regularly share useful tips. For example, we explain what you can do if iCloud Photos does not work. We will also show you how to keep an overview in your iCloud and how to share iCloud folders with others.