In this tutorial, we will be discussing about the iCloud File Sharing and how you could share files on your Mac via the said feature. One of the more important features of any cloud service provider is the ability to share your files and folder via a shareable link. All that is needed is to simply create a link of the desired content and the recipient could then easily access those files simply by clicking on that link. However, the said functionality wasn’t available on the iCloud.
This straightway meant that you couldn’t share your contents stored on your Mac with a non-Mac user. So while sharing contents via AirDrop, Mail, Message was a possibility, the link functionality was absent from this list. Fortunately, Apple seems to take note of this and finally addressed this ‘issue’. The newest change to the iCloud File Sharing is the incorporation of the Link sharing option. In this guide, we will show you how to make full use of it and hence share files easily on your Mac setup. Let’s get on with the guide.
Share Files on Mac using iCloud File Sharing
Apart from the introduction of the link-sharing feature, then are a few other add-ons to this feature that you check out. In this regard, two of the most important ones are related to the permissions as to who all can view the shared content and more importantly, how could they interact with that (i.e view, edit modify, etc). We will list the necessary instructions for that as well. On that note, let us check out the steps to use the iCloud File Sharing on your Mac.
How to Use the iCloud File Sharing
- To begin with, you will have to access the iCloud Drive on your Mac. There are many ways of doing so, the easiest of which involves making use of Spotlight.
- Now right-click on the file that needs to be shared and select the Share option. From the Share menu, select Add people.
- Then under the Add People dialog box, you will get the following options: Mail, Messages, Copy Link, and AirDrop, etc. As for the Mail, Messages, and AirDrop features, the relevant window will be opened and you may proceed with the onscreen instructions.
- However, it is with the Copy Link option of the iCloud File Sharing that needs our attention as of now. As already mentioned, the biggest takeaway from this feature is that even the non-Mac users could reap in the rewards. All you have do is just copy the link and send it via your preferred messaging client.
- But before that, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. On the left of the Share Options, you will see a triangle, click on it to expand the menu. There you will see the Who can access and the Permissions tab. Here is what both of them means:
- Who can access: It holds two options within itself: Only people you invite or Anyone with the Link. By choosing the former option, only the people that you have shared the link with could access that’s link content. On the other hand, the latter option, as the name suggests, allows anyone with the link to access the contents.
- Permissions: It also comes with two options- Can Make changes or View Only. The former option allows the recipient to make changes to the contents that they have received via your sharable link. While the latter option only makes it possible to view the contents of the shared link, no modifications are possible.
- Once you have made the selection, hit the Share button.
How to Change the Sharing Settings
So this was about the iCloud File Sharing feature. Whereas the Mail, Messages, and AirDrop functionality were still there, it is indeed a welcome move on the part of Apple to add the link-sharing functionality. With that said, if you ever wish to make any changes to the shared link, that is also very much possible.
