iOS 13.4 for iPhone and iPadOS 13.4 for the iPad offers file sharing from iCloud. This is huge!

In the past, to share a file or folder, you had to use Google Drive, Dropbox, or other cloud services, and it took several steps to get to the link. Sharing a folder or files from iCloud is quicker and offers more options.

Here are the steps for sharing a folder (use the same steps for files):

Sharing One Folder or File.

1. Tap on the Files app.
2. Tap on iCloud Drive.
3. Do a long press on a folder until a menu appears.
4. Tap on Share.
5. Tap on one of the people in the Recent Sends row or one of the apps in the second row. If you don’t find what you are looking for in either row, slide the row to the left to see more options.

Finding the Copy Link

There are times that you only want the link. To see the link, scroll down and tap on Add People. If you don’t see the Copy Link slide the row to the left. If you still don’t see it tap on More at the end of the row. Scroll down, find Copy Link, and tap on it. When on this screen, you can also set Share Options.

I find one oddity. The row of apps in step 5 and the row of apps in the above step are different. For example, in step 5, I don’t see my to-do app Things in the app row, nor is it in the More list, it only shows up in last step.

In addition, when using an app found in the above step, you will be presented with the option to add email addresses or phone numbers, to bypass this tap on Continue.

To share multiple files, open the folder, tap on Select, tap on the files to share, then tap on Share and follow steps 1 through 5. There is no Add People option when sharing multiple files. To add more people tap on the message or email apps, then add the phone numbers or email addresses of the recipients in the respective app.

Sharing folder or files from iCloud is quicker than sharing from Drive or Dropbox, but what excites me more is I can quickly send the link to Things, Slack, Drafts, and more.

Apple users have been waiting for the sharing feature for several years. Last June, Apple announced that it would be part of iOS and iPadOS 13, and now it is finally here.

Take the time to get familiar with this great feature; you will find it a real time saver.