UNDERSTANDING Apple's FILES App and HOW TO ORGANIZE DOCUMENTS in iCLOUD DRIVE on an iPhone and iPad!

Have you ever wondered where files go that you've downloaded on your iPhone or iPad? This video discusses Apple's Files App that is used to on your iPhone and iPad, and how it organizes and manages files, documents, and folders within iCloud Drive. You can even use Files to connect to other cloud services such as Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Amazon Drive, Dropbox and much more! Also learn some tips along the way like using flash drives and external hard drives to easily copy files to and from your iPhone or iPad.
Devices used in this tutorial:
iOS 16 & iPadOS 16
00:00 | Welcome Back!
00:59 | What is iCloud Drive?
01:37 | How to turn on iCloud Drive on your iPhone or iPad
04:50 | How to view and sort your files in iCloud Drive
05:41 | How to create a Folder in Files within iCloud Drive
06:10 | Saving a photo from Apple Photos to iCloud Drive
09:07 | How to delete a file with Files in iCloud Drive
09:48 | How to recover a deleted file in iCloud Drive - You only have 30 DAYS!
10:17 | How to save a PDF file to iCloud Drive form a Text message
13:02 | Markup a PDF and sync to iCloud Drive
13:36 | How to add a Favorite Folder
13:52 | How to Tag a file or folder in iCloud Drive
14:15 | How to download files and save to iCloud Drive
16:06 | How to create a Pages File in iCloud Drive
17:46 | How to move a file to a folders
18:53 | How to use an external hard drive with your iPad or iPhone
How to use iCLOUD DRIVE on your Mac, iPhone and iPad - IN DEPTH understanding of syncing your files!
• How to use iCLOUD DRIV...
How to UPGRADE your iCloud Storage! - Beginners Guide of HOW and WHAT to purchase!
• How to UPGRADE your iC...
How to CUSTOMIZE your FOLDERS and EXTERNAL HARD DRIVES on your MAC! - Why? Because you can! 😀 👨🏻‍💻
• How to CUSTOMIZE your ...
#joelfeld #learnwithjoel #iCloudDrive #Files #syncing
If you have a video suggestion, let's chat!
/ learnwithjoel
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[@Inkling777]

Many thanks! Contrary to most of the features on my iPhone and iPad, I don't find Files intuitive. You've helped me a lot.

[@ChrisMitchells_FlyingCameras]

Awesome work Joel. These tuts are seriously awesome - the graphics, the content, the delivery - its all excellent. Personally learn something from all your videos.

[@Learnwithjoel]

I appreciate that so much @CAM Tech! My goal has always been to create easy to understand content to help others, so comments like these make me want to create more and more content! As always, thanks for the continued support!

[@robodd4694]

I wish Apple would stop using the word "move" because unlike most other systems it doesn't move the file but copy it over to wherever you want. The files use both move and copy interchangeable and its confusing. Hit move thinking it will move (not leave the file) to destination. Nope, it copy's. I'm just thankful finally after decades Apple actually has a file app like every other system has always had. They FINALLY allowed the showing of file extensions!

[@Learnwithjoel]

I hear ya @Rob Odd. I can see possible confusion for the verbiage used. It seems like the majority of the time it's moving files rather than copying when you're using iCloud Drive as it's technically the same storage space. I'm not getting the same results for copying however. Do you have an example of where it's showing copying vs moving? And I agree, file extensions is always helpful! Thanks so much for watching! If this video was helpful and you learned something new, please SUBSCRIBE to my channel if you haven’t already! If you want to support my content click THANKS below or better yet, SHARE it with a friend on social media and say how it helped you! It helps more than you know and is greatly appreciated!

[@kevinspangler5489]

You should do “how to” videos on EVERYTHING EVER!!! Step by step, layman’s terms, detailed!!! You are awesome!!

[@Learnwithjoel]

I appreciate that so much @Kevin Spangler! Thanks so much for watching! If you would like to support me and my content, please SUBSCRIBE and SUPER THANKS! It helps more than you know and is greatly appreciated! If you know someone who may benefit from this video, feel free to share it along!

[@vadec5909]

Joel your channel is one of the best for learning Apple stuff!! I watch you off and on. You should do “how to videos””on everything Apple thanks

[@georgee3401]

Excellent tutorial. Very comprehensive. Many thanks!

[@Learnwithjoel]

You're very welcome @George E! Thanks so much for watching! If you haven’t already, please support me by subscribing! It helps more than you know and is greatly appreciated! If you know someone who may benefit from this video, feel free to share it along!

[@ColinAtAcura]

This was a great tutorial. As a lifelong Windows user on the desktop, sometimes iOS file management can be a little befuddling. Your video helps clarify a number of things.

[@Learnwithjoel]

I'm happy this video was helpful for you @Colin Sato! I agree, file management can be a challenge when you're first learning a new operating system. Thanks so much for watching! If this video was helpful and you learned something new, please SUBSCRIBE to my channel if you haven’t already! If you want to support my content click THANKS below or better yet, SHARE it with a friend on social media and say how it helped you! It helps more than you know and is greatly appreciated!

[@GRYL180]

Great video man. For someone sitting on the fence about getting an Apple product, it certainly calms a few fears. Thank you. 😊

[@Learnwithjoel]

Thanks for the kind words @pack180g! I'm happy I could help answer some questions and calm a few fears! Thanks so much for watching! If this video was helpful and you learned something new, please SUBSCRIBE to my channel if you haven’t already! If you want to support my content click THANKS below or better yet, SHARE it with a friend on social media and say how it helped you! It helps more than you know and is greatly appreciated!

[@ny6901]

Thanks many many times! Joel, do you know how to clear "recents" without deleting the actual file? When I am cleaning up I want to also clear out recents and I am afraid to within files on an iPad (am used to a pc & mac so understand getting rid of recently deleted & also clearing recents , say in excel. Learned it in the PC days as a security measure. Thanks again. Spending the day with you and the iPad -

[@nikkilesley2525]

Thank you for doing these tutorials! 👍

[@Learnwithjoel]

You're very welcome @Nikki Lesley! Thanks so much for watching! If you haven’t already, please support me by subscribing! It helps more than you know and is greatly appreciated! If you know someone who may benefit from this video, feel free to share it along!

[@Matt-mu1mg]

The fact that this video needs to exist should tell Apple alot

[@dorisdixon7929]

I thought I’d be able to store an email that you don’t want to to get lost cause I could end od with thousands of unwanted emails. Also safely store photos in the cloud off the app that makes more sense to me. But, you explained everything so eloquently and I appreciate it

[@Learnwithjoel]

Hi @Doris Dixon! Yeah, emails would be best to be saved into different folders within the email system itself. iCloud Drive would not be the place to do that. It's possible, but not convenient at all. Same thing with Photos. They're designed to stay in the Photos app. I appreciate the kind words! Thanks so much for watching! If this video was helpful and you learned something new, please SUBSCRIBE to my channel if you haven’t already! If you want to support my content click THANKS below or better yet, SHARE it with a friend on social media and say how it helped you! It helps more than you know and is greatly appreciated!

[@rallegra]

Great job teaching. Really clear. Thank you. To download a file to your phone I’m assuming you choose In This iPhone. Where does the downloaded file live? Or does it matter whether I know that, since I can access via Files, right?

[@ronniec5643]

Realy good tips and well explained.

[@Learnwithjoel]

I appreciate the kind words @Ronnie C! Thanks so much for watching! If you haven’t already, please support me by subscribing! It helps more than you know and is greatly appreciated! If you know someone who may benefit from this video, feel free to share it along!

[@edwardo737]

Nice job. Good explanations, good animations

[@Learnwithjoel]

I appreciate the kind words @Edward Brown! Thanks so much for watching! If you haven’t already, please support me by subscribing! It helps more than you know and is greatly appreciated! If you know someone who may benefit from this video, feel free to share it along!

[@ShehZad]

I learned all this the hard way! 😅

[@Learnwithjoel]

LOL, I hear ya @Sheh Zad! You're not alone! :-) Thanks so much for watching! If you haven’t already, please support me by subscribing! It helps more than you know and is greatly appreciated! If you know someone who may benefit from this video, feel free to share it along!

[@vadec5909]

Can you save photos from your IPhone to a flash drive connected to your phone? Another tutorial? Thanks lol

[@Arthur_My_Dear]

Great video. I have a problem with Files app. Only ‘On my iPad’ and ‘Recently Deleted’ locations are available. I am online, I have iCloud Drive switched on, but neither iCloud Drive or any network locations are showing. I’m really stuck - can you help? IPad Air 4th Gen and iPadOS 15.4.1

[@dangeroo78]

Excellent!

[@Learnwithjoel]

I appreciate your support @dangeroo78! Thanks so much for watching! It helps more than you know and is greatly appreciated! If you know someone who may benefit from this video, feel free to share it along!

[@SuperMiclovan]

Hi ...so all i have in my icloud i must have on my hdd or on my phone ?? or i can upload files to icloud and delete them from my macbook ??

[@mchase4]

I have been manually offloading large batches of videos into folders on icloud drive for use later. I then delete those videos off my iPhone once they are uploaded to the drive. My issue is the iPhone shows iCloud Drive is still taking up over 80 GB of data on my local phone. How do I fix this. I haven't recently accessed those uploaded files. It's been months. Yet I continue to run out of local iphone storage due to the drive taking up so much space. Any tips would be much appreciated.

[@prov31x]

Appreciate high contrast to see ipad best TY

[@Learnwithjoel]

You're welcome @prov31! Thanks so much for watching! If this video was helpful and you learned something new, please SUBSCRIBE to my channel if you haven’t already! If you want to support my content click THANKS below or better yet, SHARE it with a friend on social media and say how it helped you! It helps more than you know and is greatly appreciated!

[@deangarcia571]

Thanks!

[@Learnwithjoel]

THANK YOU @Dean Garcia so much your contribution! It is appreciated more than you know!

[@nathalievilleneuve8999]

Wow! You are an amazing teacher! You have the right pace, the right tone of voice. I was confused with the file organization and you made it so clear. I’ve tried some of your tricks and and something strange happened: I’ve tried to save a pdf file from an iMessage to an iCloud Drive document I created and the document appears blank. But I can save that same pdf file to my “On my phone” files and the document appears perfectly. (There is no problem if I save pictures.) Would you know why? Thanks you. Nathalie Villeneuve

[@Lim1986]

Great video,Just wondering how do you get the iMovie icon on the folder

[@Learnwithjoel]

Hey @Discover by travel! If you're talking about the folder with the purple iMovie icon on it, that's there because I have iMovie installed on my device and I've saved an iMovie project there before. Even though you can customize and create your own icons for folders and files, (which I made another video on actually, that I'll link down below) some of these folders are predetermined by Apple and can't be changed. How to CUSTOMIZE your FOLDERS and EXTERNAL HARD DRIVES on your MAC! - Why? Because you can! 😀 👨🏻‍💻 kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4aYdGeXgtZko7M I hope that helps! Thanks so much for watching! If you haven’t already, please support me by subscribing! It helps more than you know and is greatly appreciated! If you know someone who may benefit from this video, feel free to share it along!

[@sardo200]

@@Learnwithjoel is there a way of changing the icons for files on an iPhone or without using a Mac?

[@Learnwithjoel]

@@sardo200 For changing icons of folders and such within Files, I don't believe there is any option for that. However I know there are many apps in the App Store to customize the icons and looks of all the apps on your iPhone or iPad. Do a search for just "icons" in the App Store on your iPhone and you'll see lots of apps that give you the ability to customize a look for your whole device.

[@Kluivertnr1]

Also organize photos via the file app is handy, much better than organize in the photo app

[@user-InspireEllen]

I’m finding deleting photos from my I phone file they just disappear by themselves.

[@abysss56]

Anyway to alphabetize my icloud shared photo albums?

[@ChrisMitchells_FlyingCameras]

Joel, do you know if Time Machine backs up everything in iCloud Drive? I backup all 3 or my Macs to Time Machine which backs I up to my Synology NAS.

[@Learnwithjoel]

Great question @CAM Tech! According to Apple, if you do not have the option checked in System Preferences to "Optimize Mac Storage" for iCloud, then it should download everything locally and then Time Machine should be able to back it up, but Apple really pushes the concept of using iCloud itself as a backup, which in my opinion really isn't a backup. It's nice that they store files in the "recently deleted" for 30 days, but that's not ideal. How do you like your Synology?

[@ChrisMitchells_FlyingCameras]

@@Learnwithjoel this makes sense and I do not have “Optimize max storage” checked on my macs so hopefully it’s being backed up in TimeMachine. I love my Synology units. I have 3 - the 8 bay is filled with 12tb drives for all my storage - personal videos from my Sony cameras, Plex media server movies and tv shows, TimeMachine and lots more. The other 2 units are backups to the 8 bay. I love the whole system and it works very well with my Macs.

[@Trunghien666666]

How can I do "remove downloaded" on ipad/iphone? I have read a 2gb book from my icloud drive on my ipad, after that I want to keep it back to icloud drive only in order not to use ipad's storage, how can I do that?

[@panagiotisvasiliadis5468]

Open the files app on your ipad /iphone tap and hold the book that you have and hit move or copy then go to icloud drive and paste it

[@BobGamble]

Joel, thanks for the great videos. My biggest issue with files saved to icloud become inaccessible. It can cause unnecessary delays. Do any commenters know of this issue?

[@Learnwithjoel]

Thanks @Bob Gamble! I agree! On iOS there is no way to tell iCloud Drive to always keep files downloaded like you can on the Mac. I hope they bring this option to iOS in the future. As of right now, it doesn't look like they're adding it in iOS16. :-( I agree, if anyone out there has some magic trick or something we're not seeing, let us know! Thanks so much for watching! If you haven’t subscribed already and would like to support me and my content, please SUBSCRIBE and click THANKS below on the video! It helps more than you know and is greatly appreciated! If you know someone who may benefit from this video, please share it along!

[@DB-fv4yn]

have not found an app that will automatically copy (not sync) files (event based or scheduled) from an iphone to iCloud Drive. Any thoughts ?

[@Learnwithjoel]

Hi @DB-fv4yn, What type of files are you looking to copy automatically. Trying to understand the use case. Can you describe a scenario of what your end goal is? THANK YOU so much for watching! It is appreciated more than you know! If this video was useful, I’d love for you to SHARE it with on social media and say how it helped you! Please SUBSCRIBE if you haven’t already, and if you have, THANK YOU for your continued support!

[@120Loop]

Is there a way to view External Files on a drive that is connected to my MAC and see them on my iPhone or iPad? Note: I tried setting up File Share on my Mac but it did not work. Any ideal or do you have a 2022 Video that walk a person thru the process. 2nd do you have any videos on organizing your Macbook files / structure

[@Learnwithjoel]

That is a fantastic question @120 LOOP! To answer your first question of accessing your files on an iPad or iPad via your Mac, yes you can through the Files App. Now this only works when on the same network and it doesn't require iCloud, but I just did it to confirm that it's possible. I guess I'll need a video for this! Great suggestion! Secondly as far as organizing your files on your Mac, the Finder will be your BEST FRIEND! I recommend any Mac user to master the Finder as it will help you immensely. I do have a video that speaks to this. It's a little older, but still very relevant. I will link down below for reference: THE MOST IMPORTANT APP ON YOUR MAC! - Getting started with The Finder! kzbin.info/www/bejne/imOwZJxsapd8i68 I hope that helps! Thanks so much for watching! If this video was helpful and you learned something new, please SUBSCRIBE to my channel if you haven’t already! If you want to support my content click THANKS below or better yet, SHARE it with a friend on social media and say how it helped you! It helps more than you know and is greatly appreciated!

[@120Loop]

@@Learnwithjoel thanks for your reply but when I try to connect to my MacBook as guest it doesn’t connect. It gives me Cannot connect to server. Btw, it doesn’t show me me the MacBook ip address it just shows me “smart://my computer name followed by a .lan

[@prov31x]

QUESTION: I took photos of many of my paper documents in order to cut down on paper. But now how do I organize them as such?

[@Learnwithjoel]

Great question @prov31. This really comes down to the topic of File management and creating a file/folder structure that makes sense to you. What devices do you have? Are you using iCloud / iCloud Drive? Thanks so much for watching! If this video was helpful and you learned something new, please SUBSCRIBE to my channel if you haven’t already! If you want to support my content click THANKS below or better yet, SHARE it with a friend on social media and say how it helped you! It helps more than you know and is greatly appreciated!

[@user-ck8on1ol2v]

when i try to delete a file its not letting me and says i dont have permission to do so, what can i do?

[@Learnwithjoel]

Hi @m! What device are you trying to delete the file from and what type of file is it? Is it a folder, or a file you created? I presume it's in iCloud Drive? Thanks so much for watching! If this video was helpful and you learned something new, please SUBSCRIBE to my channel if you haven’t already! If you want to support my content click THANKS below or better yet, SHARE it with a friend on social media and say how it helped you! It helps more than you know and is greatly appreciated!

[@elibessudo]

How do you remove a download that I saved to my phone for quick access if I want to keep it in iCloud but clear up local space on my phone?

[@Learnwithjoel]

Great question @Elias Bessudo! By default anything downloaded from Safari actually goes to iCloud not your local device. To verify, go to: Settings > Safari > Downloads Here you'll be able to pick where files go when you download them. I hope that helps! Thanks so much for watching! If you would like to support me and my content, please SUBSCRIBE and SUPER THANKS! It helps more than you know and is greatly appreciated! If you know someone who may benefit from this video, feel free to share it along!

[@elibessudo]

@@Learnwithjoel I actually mean when I download a file from the files app, not from safari. Within the files app, my iCloud files appear with the cloud/downward arrow icon; if I click it, it will download to my phone for quick access. My question is how do I offload it off my phone storage but keep it in iCloud/files app. I don't see the "remove download" option like I do when I access icloud on my mac.

[@TerryAdy]

@@elibessudo I have been trying to figure this out as well... Cause I download massive files onto my iphone and iPad... And occasionally I'll download high vectors and even video files to work with from my icloud but then I can't "undownload" things from phone or iPad. Your the first person I've seen that's asked this question... I'm so glad it's not just me and hopefully someone can assist us!

[@TerryAdy]

Any news about this?

[@elibessudo]

@@TerryAdy I noticed after a few weeks my test download offloaded on its own. Not sure how long it took and my most recent download hasn’t automatically offloaded yet. Looks like maybe if you don’t touch the file long enough it’ll offload on its own

[@vadec5909]

Doesn’t the flash drive have to be formatted for IOS, and not Windows? Another tutorial?

[@davidjohn5879]

iCloud FILES is the ONLY place I can find on iPad or iPhone to KEYWORD TAG YOUR PHOTOS. You cannot do this in the iPad/iPhone app. Unless anyone can show how to do this. Yes you can do this keyword tagging on a Mac. For a photographer this is a major drawback of the iPad/iPhone syste. I have keyword tagged all of my significant images for the last 15 years. Due to vision problems I have switched to iPad Pro, as using a laptop has become quite difficult . I have never owned a MAC. Mainly due to the nature of my business I have used and owned PCs for many years. The complete change to the MAC system could be prohibitive on a simple cost basis. I have now invested a whole year in attempting to understand the differences between MAC and PC. Yes it has been an uphill struggle. I feel I am only now starting to understand. So please, for now I apologise to anyone who reads this lengthy comment. There are too many MAC {gurus] on you tube who say you can replace your laptop with an iPad. However they then continue to show you how to use the iPad for more social computing than business computing. So for those who have stayed with me so far, I thank you…

[@Learnwithjoel]

I hear ya @davidjohn5879, it's really frustrating that you can not add keywords to photos on an iPhone or iPad. You can search for them, but unless you have a Mac synced with Apple Photos, there is no way to add a keyword. I really hope Apple adds this feature! I've linked a feedback link below for reference. The amount of times I've filled that out... Apple Product Feedback www.apple.com/feedback/ As far as anyone saying an iPad is replacement for a computer, I personally take it with a grain of salt. To me it gives me a good reference on what that particular does with technology. When iPads were introduced they were great for consumption. Watching a movie, playing a game, mindlessly scrolling through websites. They have certainly become more powerful with certain Apps/tasks. For example they are great for sketching pictures and photos digitally, making music or very specialized things, but it is not a replacement for a computer. Don't worry, I read your comment! I appreciate you more than you know! Thank you for your continued support! If this video was useful, I’d love for you to SHARE it with on social media and say how it helped you!

[@greebo7857]

iCloud is NOT a backup. I pay for iCloud, but  deleted my phone backups without warning. All my late wife's texts to me were lost.

[@Learnwithjoel]

I agree @greebo7857! iCloud doesn't necessarily backup 100% of your content! Why would Apple delete your phone backups? Did they do this at an Apple Store? Do you have any other Apple Device that you were using iMessage on? Video below is related to iCloud Backups for reference: iCLOUD BACKUPS - WHAT you NEED TO KNOW when it comes to backing up PHOTOS, iPHONES and your devices! kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZbTaqOIetWfepo THANK YOU so much for watching! It is appreciated more than you know! If this video was useful, I’d love for you to SHARE it with on social media and say how it helped you! Please SUBSCRIBE if you haven’t already, and if you have, THANK YOU for your continued support!

[@user-InspireEllen]

Mine has just deleted all what I have deleted last night???

[@keepwalking6041]

ffs ppl still can't explain most needed Q about cloud.. i had to use chatgpt to get the fkn answer finally, basically CLOUD will not resolve your storage issue, why? because you can't use it as extended storage, if you have 64gb of ipad storage, this is your drive, this is where you save apps, photos, music etc.. this is it.. you can't store it in icloud and NOT on the device, or delete them on your device while they remain on your cloud..nope, so i don't even understand why storage of 2tb exist if you have only 64gb for instance..it makes no sense, your max is 64gb in this case.. as you fill up your device the cloud also reaches maximum, cloud merely mirrors your device for synchrohization effect.. fkn useless.. i did read dropbox and onedrive is better, actually allows such useful feature like, export pics from my device to there..delete same file on device..therefore i have space on my device..i need to see the picture? go to dropbox and voila.. fkn seriously..this is hard to explain ppl?

[@ianoliver3879]

Somebody who posts videos with jump cuts? Should I believe he knows of what he speaks?

[@Learnwithjoel]

I see your point @Ian Oliver! It would be far easier to leave all of the "um's" and dead silence in, but it flows a little better without it! Thanks so much for watching! If this video was helpful and you learned something new, please SUBSCRIBE to my channel if you haven’t already! If you want to support my content click THANKS below or better yet, SHARE it with a friend on social media and say how it helped you! It helps more than you know and is greatly appreciated!