Apple provides users with 5GB of free iCloud storage space online. However, if you require additional storage, it comes at a price ranging from $0.99 per month for 50GB to $59.99 per month for 12TB. Subscribers also gain access to various other benefits, including an email privacy feature.

Figure 1. You can easily share your iCloud storage around with other people.

Figure 1 shows You can easily share your iCloud storage around with other people. Regardless of the amount of iCloud storage you're subscribed to, it can be shared with others. While iCloud family sharing through an iCloud family plan is the most straightforward method, the file-sharing tools available on iCloud enable sharing specific files and folders with anyone you choose.[1]

Sharing iCloud Storage through Family Sharing

The Apple Family Sharing feature simplifies sharing subscriptions such as Apple Music and Apple News within your family, including iCloud storage. It also offers parental controls. However, we'll concentrate solely on the storage sharing aspect here.

To share iCloud storage via Family Sharing, you need a paid iCloud storage plan; the basic 5GB allocation doesn't apply. Only the designated family organizer needs to subscribe. If you're setting it up, you can start from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. If you’re using a mobile device:

• Open up Settings.
• Tap your name at the top.
• Tap Family Sharing.
• Select Set Up Your Family.

To access the same options, tap your name in System Preferences on macOS. You'll then be prompted to invite contacts to your family, and you'll receive a shareable link. Families can include up to six members.

Manage family members by selecting Family from Settings (or System Preferences on macOS). Once your list is complete, choose Family Checklist, then iCloud+, to initiate iCloud storage sharing. Subsequently, manage iCloud sharing from iCloud Storage on the Family screen.

In summary, family members gain access to the subscribed iCloud storage collectively. Privacy is maintained as members cannot view each other's files and folders within the shared storage. Specific files and folders can be shared if necessary, offering an additional method of sharing iCloud storage.[2]

Sharing iCloud Storage through Shared Files and Folders

This alternative method enables you to share particular files and folders with designated contacts, irrespective of whether they belong to your family group. Additionally, it functions with the free 5GB iCloud storage plan. While it doesn't merge your entire storage like Family Sharing, it proves beneficial for establishing shared areas on iCloud and facilitating collaboration with others.

You can start sharing a folder from your iCloud Drive by loading up iCloud on the web, then clicking Drive:

• Navigate to the folder you want to share.
• Click the Share Folder button in the top right corner—it looks like a person’s head and shoulders, with a plus sign on it.
• A link for accessing the file is created, and you can choose to Email it or click Copy Link to send it to the clipboard.
• Click Share Options to set whether or not your invited contacts can make changes in the folder, and whether or not anyone with the link can join the folder.
• Click Share to confirm.

Choosing to allow anyone with the link to join a folder is like leaving a door open for anyone with the address, whereas restricting access to "Only people you invite" functions like having names checked at the door. To share a file, click on it and then click the share button, which allows you to adjust sharing settings. These options are also available on macOS by using Cmd+click on a file or folder. If you've permitted others to make changes when sharing a folder, they can upload and edit files within it, but these files will only count towards your iCloud storage quota if your contacts don't have their own copies stored elsewhere. Both file and folder sharing options, as well as Family Sharing, offer ways to share iCloud storage, and they're easy to set up and manage. You can use both methods simultaneously if your family needs access to a shared folder, such as for vacation planning.

References:

1. https://www.popsci.com/diy/how-to-share-icloud-storage/
2. https://macpaw.com/how-to/share-icloud-storage-iphone-ipad-mac

Cite this article:

Gokila G (2024), How to Share Icloud Storage: A Detailed Walkthrough, Anatechmaz, pp.108