{"id":"icloud.does-a-shared-icloud-folder-use-my-storage","url":"/faq/icloud/does-a-shared-icloud-folder-use-my-storage","category":{"id":"icloud","title":"iCloud & iCloud Photos"},"subcategory":{"id":"icloud-sharing","title":"Sharing folders and photo libraries"},"question":"Does a shared iCloud Drive folder use my storage or the other person's?","alt_questions":["Shared iCloud folder storage owner","Who pays for storage in shared iCloud folder","Does joining a shared folder use my iCloud space?","shared folder counts against whose icloud"],"short_answer":"The owner's: shared folder contents count toward the iCloud storage of whoever shared it. Downloaded copies still use space on each participant's Mac, and can be made online-only there.","answer_markdown":"The **owner's**. Everything in a shared folder counts toward the iCloud storage of the person who created and shared it, not the people invited. If the owner's iCloud is full, the shared folder stops syncing new changes for everyone.\n\nOn each person's **Mac**, though, downloaded copies of shared files use that Mac's own disk like any iCloud Drive file — and they can be made online-only to save space. See [online-only iCloud files](/faq/icloud/what-does-online-only-mean-for-icloud-files).","answer_html":"

The owner's. Everything in a shared folder counts toward the iCloud storage of the person who created and shared it, not the people invited. If the owner's iCloud is full, the shared folder stops syncing new changes for everyone.

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On each person's Mac, though, downloaded copies of shared files use that Mac's own disk like any iCloud Drive file — and they can be made online-only to save space. See online-only iCloud files.

","answer_text":"The owner's. Everything in a shared folder counts toward the iCloud storage of the person who created and shared it, not the people invited. If the owner's iCloud is full, the shared folder stops syncing new changes for everyone.\n\nOn each person's Mac, though, downloaded copies of shared files use that Mac's own disk like any iCloud Drive file — and they can be made online-only to save space. See online-only iCloud files.","tags":["icloud drive","sharing","icloud storage"],"related":[{"id":"icloud.how-do-i-share-a-folder-in-icloud-drive","question":"How do I share a folder in iCloud Drive with someone?","url":"/faq/icloud/how-do-i-share-a-folder-in-icloud-drive"},{"id":"icloud.what-does-online-only-mean-for-icloud-files","question":"What does online-only mean for an iCloud Drive file?","url":"/faq/icloud/what-does-online-only-mean-for-icloud-files"},{"id":"icloud.what-stops-working-when-icloud-storage-is-full","question":"What stops working when my iCloud storage is full?","url":"/faq/icloud/what-stops-working-when-icloud-storage-is-full"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"Does a shared iCloud Drive folder use my storage or the other person's? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"The owner's: shared folder contents count toward the iCloud storage of whoever shared it. Downloaded copies still use space on each participant's Mac, and can be made online-only there.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"iCloud & iCloud Photos","path":"/faq/icloud/"},{"name":"Does a shared iCloud Drive folder use my storage or the other person's?","path":"/faq/icloud/does-a-shared-icloud-folder-use-my-storage"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/icloud/does-a-shared-icloud-folder-use-my-storage","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Does a shared iCloud Drive folder use my storage or the other person's?","alternateName":["Shared iCloud folder storage owner","Who pays for storage in shared iCloud folder","Does joining a shared folder use my iCloud space?","shared folder counts against whose icloud"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The owner's. Everything in a shared folder counts toward the iCloud storage of the person who created and shared it, not the people invited. If the owner's iCloud is full, the shared folder stops syncing new changes for everyone.\n\nOn each person's Mac, though, downloaded copies of shared files use that Mac's own disk like any iCloud Drive file — and they can be made online-only to save space. See online-only iCloud files.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/icloud/does-a-shared-icloud-folder-use-my-storage"}}]},"fragment":"
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iCloud & iCloud Photos · Sharing folders and photo libraries

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Does a shared iCloud Drive folder use my storage or the other person's?

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Short answer: The owner's: shared folder contents count toward the iCloud storage of whoever shared it. Downloaded copies still use space on each participant's Mac, and can be made online-only there.

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The owner's. Everything in a shared folder counts toward the iCloud storage of the person who created and shared it, not the people invited. If the owner's iCloud is full, the shared folder stops syncing new changes for everyone.

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On each person's Mac, though, downloaded copies of shared files use that Mac's own disk like any iCloud Drive file — and they can be made online-only to save space. See online-only iCloud files.

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