Having problems like iCloud drive not syncing? You’re not alone! Many users have experienced these iCloud problems since its first release. Fortunately, there are many ways you can use to fix it. So, here’s how to solve iCloud sync issues.
Use the Right Account
It might sound obvious. But, if you’re not using the same iCloud account on all of your devices, then they’ll never sync correctly. Follow these steps to check your iCloud account:
- Go to Settings
- Tap on [Your Name] on iOS or System Preferences > Apple ID on macOS.
- Then, check which account is currently associated with the device.
Note: You can only have one iCloud account active at a time, so make sure they match up.
Make Sure iCloud is Working Properly
Every service experiences downtime at some point. While most planned outages tend to happen at night when you’re asleep, catastrophic failure or human error can sometimes bring even the most reliable services down. To check the iCloud status, head to Apple’s System Status page, and look for the green dots. Also, any ongoing issues should appear at the bottom of the screen.
Set Up iCloud on Your Devices
When iCloud Drive is not working, double-check if you’ve enabled iCloud on your apps or not. To do this:
On your iOS, open Settings > [Your name] > iCloud. Here, make sure the apps you want to sync are listed and enabled.
For macOS devices, the apps that have access to iCloud Drive will appear under System Preferences > Apple ID > iCloud. Also, you should try turning this off and on again to restart the sync process.
Enable Apps Cellular Access
Does the iCloud Drive not syncing issues only occur when you’re using mobile data, but not Wi-Fi? If that’s the case, then you might have disabled cellular access for some apps.
Here is how to enable cellular access on your apps:
- Open Settings > Cellular
- Scroll down to find a list of apps on your phone.
- Here, any apps that have their toggle off will only work on Wi-Fi.
- Enabling data access on any apps that you want to sync all the time, but remember that this may increase your data usage.
Reset & Restore your Device
Before moving forward, make sure you’ve backed up your phone to avoid losing data. To do this:
- Reset your device using the Restore option in iTunes (or Finder on macOS Catalina and newer).
- Then, restore with your recent backup.
- Once it’s finished, hopefully, this will clear up whatever issue you have with the iCloud Drive.
Use iCloud Alternatives
If none of the above troubleshooting helps, then using alternative cloud storage isn’t a bad idea. Plus, other cloud storage platforms often provide enough or even more space than the iCloud. For instance, you will have 15GB of free storage that’s shared across Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos.
Related article: How to Sync Your Mac Desktop and Documents Folder to iCloud
Did you fix the iCloud sync issues on your device? Let us know about it and feel free to ask any questions in the comments!
