{"id":"icloud.how-do-i-turn-on-icloud-drive-on-my-mac","url":"/faq/icloud/how-do-i-turn-on-icloud-drive-on-my-mac","category":{"id":"icloud","title":"iCloud & iCloud Photos"},"subcategory":{"id":"icloud-drive-basics","title":"iCloud Drive basics"},"question":"How do I turn on iCloud Drive on my Mac?","alt_questions":["Enable iCloud Drive Mac","Set up iCloud Drive on macOS","iCloud Drive not showing in Finder sidebar","Sync this Mac iCloud Drive","Where do I switch on iCloud Drive?"],"short_answer":"Open System Settings → your name → iCloud and turn on iCloud Drive (sometimes labelled Sync this Mac). If it's missing from Finder's sidebar, tick it in Finder → Settings → Sidebar. Storage Studio then finds it automatically.","answer_markdown":"Open **System Settings**, click your name at the top, then **iCloud**, and turn on **iCloud Drive** (on some versions the switch is labelled **Sync this Mac**). After a moment **iCloud Drive** appears in Finder's sidebar.\n\nIf it doesn't appear in Finder, open **Finder → Settings → Sidebar** and tick **iCloud Drive**.\n\nOnce it's on, Storage Studio finds it automatically — there's nothing to add or sign in to in Storage Studio. See [does Storage Studio work with iCloud Drive](/faq/icloud/does-storage-studio-work-with-icloud-drive).","answer_html":"

Open System Settings, click your name at the top, then iCloud, and turn on iCloud Drive (on some versions the switch is labelled Sync this Mac). After a moment iCloud Drive appears in Finder's sidebar.

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If it doesn't appear in Finder, open Finder → Settings → Sidebar and tick iCloud Drive.

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Once it's on, Storage Studio finds it automatically — there's nothing to add or sign in to in Storage Studio. See does Storage Studio work with iCloud Drive.

","answer_text":"Open System Settings, click your name at the top, then iCloud, and turn on iCloud Drive (on some versions the switch is labelled Sync this Mac). After a moment iCloud Drive appears in Finder's sidebar.\n\nIf it doesn't appear in Finder, open Finder → Settings → Sidebar and tick iCloud Drive.\n\nOnce it's on, Storage Studio finds it automatically — there's nothing to add or sign in to in Storage Studio. See does Storage Studio work with iCloud Drive.","tags":["icloud drive","setup","settings"],"related":[{"id":"icloud.what-is-icloud-drive-on-a-mac","question":"What is iCloud Drive on a Mac?","url":"/faq/icloud/what-is-icloud-drive-on-a-mac"},{"id":"icloud.why-doesnt-storage-studio-find-my-icloud-drive","question":"Why doesn't iCloud Drive appear in Storage Studio's Optimize Cloud Storage menu?","url":"/faq/icloud/why-doesnt-storage-studio-find-my-icloud-drive"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"How do I turn on iCloud Drive on my Mac? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"Open System Settings → your name → iCloud and turn on iCloud Drive (sometimes labelled Sync this Mac). If it's missing from Finder's sidebar, tick it in Finder → Settings → Sidebar. Storage Studio then finds it automatically.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"iCloud & iCloud Photos","path":"/faq/icloud/"},{"name":"How do I turn on iCloud Drive on my Mac?","path":"/faq/icloud/how-do-i-turn-on-icloud-drive-on-my-mac"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/icloud/how-do-i-turn-on-icloud-drive-on-my-mac","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How do I turn on iCloud Drive on my Mac?","alternateName":["Enable iCloud Drive Mac","Set up iCloud Drive on macOS","iCloud Drive not showing in Finder sidebar","Sync this Mac iCloud Drive","Where do I switch on iCloud Drive?"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Open System Settings, click your name at the top, then iCloud, and turn on iCloud Drive (on some versions the switch is labelled Sync this Mac). After a moment iCloud Drive appears in Finder's sidebar.\n\nIf it doesn't appear in Finder, open Finder → Settings → Sidebar and tick iCloud Drive.\n\nOnce it's on, Storage Studio finds it automatically — there's nothing to add or sign in to in Storage Studio. See does Storage Studio work with iCloud Drive.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/icloud/how-do-i-turn-on-icloud-drive-on-my-mac"}}]},"fragment":"
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iCloud & iCloud Photos · iCloud Drive basics

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How do I turn on iCloud Drive on my Mac?

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Short answer: Open System Settings → your name → iCloud and turn on iCloud Drive (sometimes labelled Sync this Mac). If it's missing from Finder's sidebar, tick it in Finder → Settings → Sidebar. Storage Studio then finds it automatically.

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Open System Settings, click your name at the top, then iCloud, and turn on iCloud Drive (on some versions the switch is labelled Sync this Mac). After a moment iCloud Drive appears in Finder's sidebar.

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If it doesn't appear in Finder, open Finder → Settings → Sidebar and tick iCloud Drive.

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Once it's on, Storage Studio finds it automatically — there's nothing to add or sign in to in Storage Studio. See does Storage Studio work with iCloud Drive.

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Last reviewed

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