In an update iOS 13.4 Apple added the feature of the ability to share any iCloud Drive folder from the Files app. This means, you can share multiple documents at the same time instead of doing it one by one. In this article, everything is about this feature, so read on.
The importance of sharing iCloud Drive folders
The new sharing feature for iCloud Drive folders is similar to the Pages, Numbers, and Keynote document sharing feature for collaboration.
What is meant by collaboration here, or Sharing and Collaboration, meaning participation and cooperation. Sharing a document with one or more users, enabling collaboration from editing and others in real time directly in the same document. It is also called simultaneous collaboration. This way, you can allow others to add to the folders and modify the documents inside them. But your collaborators will need an iCloud account, and you can also send it as a ZIP file that anyone can.
Folders you can't share from iCloud Drive folders
Before iOS 13.4, there were no “sharing” options at all for folders in the Files app, but now it does exist but not for every folder. For example, although a new "share" option appears for folders in Google Drive, Box, Dropbox and other cloud storage services, you cannot add collaborators and regularly share to contacts in Messages, Mail, Messenger, etc. It will give an error.
Thus the sharing is not intended for folders that do not use iCloud Drive. But in iCloud Drive, only folders that you manually create can be shared and collaborated on. It means, any folders created by the applications themselves, such as Pages and Shortcuts, cannot be shared, as well as default folders such as Documents.
Sharing zip files
Any folder you create manually for iCloud Drive can be shared files as a ZIP file extension to anyone. To do that:
◉ Open the “Browse” tab of the files.
◉ Select "iCloud Drive."
◉ Tap and hold any folder on or inside the list. You can also do this from the "Recents" or "Recent" tab, if it's a compatible folder. When the Quick Actions menu appears, select "Share" or "Share." See the following image:
After that, you only need to choose your own name. You can send by AirDrop, send it to recent contacts, add it to notes, Google Drive, or send it through apps like Messages or Mail. However, not all apps that appear in Share row will work; Like Messenger, Telegram, Outlook, and many other apps that only give you an error.
When you add it to the Notes app, it will be included in a new note as a folder, but you will only be able to access it by sharing it elsewhere again or saving it again in the Files app, so it's not very useful.
When using Messages, Mail, AirDrop, Google Drive, and the like, the result will be a ZIP file, and the other person can decompress it to view its contents.
Share the folder to collaborate
If you want others to be able to add or edit documents and make changes to files within the folder, you will have to add them as collaborators. You can also add collaborators for view-only access.
Open the "Browse" tab, select "iCloud Drive," then long-press on the desired folder that you want to share. When the Quick Actions menu appears, select "Share" or "Share" and then drag the posts window to the top and select "Add People" to instantly share the folder using the default settings. You can also choose Messages, Mail or another application to send an access link to. Anyone you send to should have an iCloud account, as they'll need to be signed in to open the folder.
Note that if you move a folder to another location after sharing it in any way, any links to the folder will be broken.
Change folder settings before sharing
To change the settings before sharing, click on "Sharing options" at the bottom of the row of apps. Here, you can choose to grant access to "Only people you invite" and have access to the folder in their iCloud account. Or "anyone with the link" so nearly anyone with an iCloud account can access it as long as they have the folder link.
Regardless of which option you choose, you can select it to give them "view only" access or unrestricted access by using "Changes can be made." When using "Can make changes," these people can add to and delete content from the folder or modify items inside it.
Changes appear in real time and sync via iCloud to everyone else; This way, everyone is always on the same page. If you choose "View only," any changes you make to the folder will be synced with everyone who has access, as they alone will not be able to make any changes themselves. Once ready, click on "Add People" and choose your method for sharing the link.
Add more people to the shared folder
If you need to add someone else, tap and hold the folder again in the iCloud Drive folder in Files. Shared folders will appear below "One item Shared by" or "Shared by".
Again, select "Share," and drag the posts window up, click "Show People" or Show People.
On the next page, you can see all current subscribers of the folder. If he hasn't accepted the invitation yet, it will be greyed out with the "Invited" or Invited note next to it.
Click "Add People" and choose "Sharing Options" if you want to make changes for this user. Anyone you invite can have different permissions. Then, back on the sharing screen, tap on the app that you want to use to share the link with the user or users.
Quickly share folder link
If you only need the link, you can copy it this way, press and hold the file you want to share, then share, drag the sharing window up and choose Add People, then choose how you want to send your invitation, then swipe to the right and click Copy Link, then share it Via text message or whatever. This is useful if the person you invited has already lost the invitation, so you don't have to invite them again.
You can also get a quick link to copy when you have someone who has access to "whoever has the link".
With this setting, there will be a "Send Link" option in the "Show People" menu. Click on that, then choose a method to share it.
Change sharing settings for individuals
When it comes to user permissions, participants can have different settings. This way, you can allow some users to edit the contents of the folder but keep others restricted to "view only" access. Simply click on a participant's name from the "Show People" menu and change their permissions accordingly. You can also "remove access" from here if you don't want them to check out the folder at all.
Change the sharing settings for the folder
If you want to toggle who can access the folder or default permissions for users in the folder, from the "Show People" menu, press "Sharing Options." If the people in the folder have different permissions, flags will appear next to both options to indicate it. If you switch to “Changes can be made” or “view only,” the selection will override any previous collaborator settings.
When it comes to who can access the folder, if it is currently only invited, switching to “Anyone with the link” will allow anyone with the link to join. If it's now open to anyone, but you switched to "Only people you invite," then everyone who has access to the folder will lose access, and you'll need to invite them again.
Stop sharing the folder
If you no longer want anyone to access the shared folder, you can stop sharing completely. From the "Show People" menu, you can select individual users and press "Revoke Access" to only block them. Alternatively, you can swipe left on the names and click "remove" to do the same.
To drop access to all participants, tap "Stop Sharing" instead, then "OK" in the confirmation message. Alternatively, you can move the folder to another location in the Files app to do the same.
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