Q: How do I revert back to iCloud from iCloud Drive?

Yeah it's pretty bad. But also keep in mind that iWork is available on iCloud.com as well. I prefer the native os x apps, but the web apps are pretty good. At times like this, they're very powerful.

I agree that what Apple has done is unconscionable.  "iCloud Drive" does not sound much different than "iCloud" which we all know to be a "drive" for storing documents and media.  Many people were tricked into this situation including, as I read in a recent article, MacWorld Great Britain.  If they clicked the button unwittingly, then it's pretty clear that the consequences of clicking for iCloud Drive were not made sufficiently clear.  For a giant like Apple to claim that what was done with the simple click of a button cannot be undone until Yosemite is available is ludicrous.  Thanks to you for offering your work around.  I'm sure there are many many people in this situation who rely on business documents stored in iCloud.  I appreciate the help.

"You will not be able to access the documents currently stored in iCloud on your other devices until they are also upgraded to iOS 8 or OS X Yosemite."

Then there was a blue link that said "Upgrade To iCloud Drive."

Where was the part where anyone was tricked?  Anyone who upgraded saw that right in front of them.

Nobody was tricked.  But there were a lot of people who clicked the upgrade button who didn't really understand the ramifications.  Apple's design user interface always has an "undo", where is that?  How many people clicked and are not on discussions here, but just know that syncing with iCloud no longer works.

Really appreciate you pointing out the obvious, but the point of the thread is how you undo a simple click that breaks all syncing functionality and how to get it back.

"But there were a lot of people who clicked the upgrade button who didn't really understand the ramifications."

You are of course right.  "You will not be able to access the documents currently stored in iCloud" is extremely cryptic and difficult to understand.

And if the point of the thread is how to undo it... There is no way.

It might have been a little less tricky if Apple stated that yosemite was not, or would not be available for a month or more.  Apple has been very good with updates, I just kinda thought I would then go to my Mac and do the update so all my devices would work together.  

I disagree. This platform offered by Apple is called "Discussions" so there is no limit as to what can be discussed, providing the usual etiquette is followed.

What Apple did not make clear during the IOS 8 upgrade is that the entire service would be migrated from iCloud to iCloud Drive and the old service would not longer work. I upgraded my devices and as a consequence my Macs will no longer sync over iCloud on Mavericks. That is simply a bad decision by Apple. As someone has said, and I agree, Steve Jobs is unlikely to have allowed such a user experience to occur. It doesn't make sense for Jony Ives to constantly talk about user experience when someone else at Apple allows this to happen. Mac OS is not unrelated to IOS, they have to be coordinated.

Syncing files over devices is no longer optional or just for convenience. People run businesses based on this type of computing principle. They need services they can rely on. Apple clearly wants to move further into the business market. Managing files is more important than taking someone's pulse on a watch. It's a question of setting priorities correctly. I've spent a lot of money on Apple products in the belief that the company can deliver on it's promises. As the company becomes more complex it has to ensure a higher standard of delivery than the IOS 8 upgrade.

I disagree. This platform offered by Apple is called "Discussions" so there is no limit as to what can be discussed, providing the usual etiquette is followed.

It is clearly stated in the "Terms of Use" what can be discussed here and what not:

See:  Apple Support Communities Use Agreement

1. Stay on topic. Apple Support Communities is here to help people use Apple products and technologies more effectively. Unless otherwise noted, do not add Submissions about nontechnical topics, including:
1. Speculations or rumors about unannounced products.
2. Discussions of Apple policies or procedures or speculation on Apple decisions.

Here is another work around for those that lost syncing between iWork apps between Mac OS X and iOS devices.

Download the Yosemite Final Candidate and get a jump start.  I have an external hard drive that I boot from so I can test things before jumping in and I was playing with it all day yesterday and it will give you a 3 week jump before it is officially released and allow you revert back to syning.  Just make a backup of your iCloud Documents (just to be safe)

Finder ->  Go -> Goto Folder -> ~/Library/Mobile Documents/

If you look in this folder you will see your Keynote presentations at:

/com-apple-Keynote/Documents/

I appreciate that point and it is not my intention to stir up general discontent or to speculate unnecessarily. I bought my first Apple computer in 1993, I've supported every update since for myself but also family and friends in six countries. After a while you get to recognise patterns and base your behaviour on the predictability of such updates. Apple has improved it's upgrade service immeasurably over the years to the point where it had become completely trustworthy. The last glitch was the well-documented downgrade of iWork functionality and this also set a new pattern. It was a warning that functionality may go missing.

Some companies require iPhone updates to be made to ensure security. My understanding was that I should upgrade my IOS devices to IOS 8 and I did that. I did not need to exchange documents between Macs and IOS devices. Therefore my assumption was:

- IOS 8 devices would work with iCloud Drive

- Mac OS machines would continue to work with iCloud

- Yosemite would arrive very soon after IOS 8

My assumption was based on trust, not facts. The upgrade did not say "if you use iCloud on a Mac, do not upgrade to IOS 8 on your devices as Yosemite will not be ready for some weeks maybe months". I have learned from the experience and will be more careful i.e. less trusting next time round.

The positive suggestions on this forum are great, such as the one from Michael Ginsberg, and I respect the time he has taken to make it. I'll assess the alternative solutions based on time required and risk.

Is this done only when a device upgrades to OS 8?

I suddenly lost iCloud, and I think it's because my husband updated his iPhone, but, before I say anything, I want to make sure it wasn't something I could've done.

The option is only offered when a device updates to iOS 8, or when installing Yosemite on an eligible Mac. Note: Yosemite is not actually released yet, its currently on Beta. Which is the last testing cycle before release.

Unless you installed The Beta version of Yosemite on your Mac, or updated your device to iOS 8  and actually agreed to the update to iCloud Drive when offered, then the update was likely performed when another iOS device was updated to iOS 8 and was given the choice. Its hard to think you would have done it unknowingly.

Another reason why using the Same Apple ID for iCloud on different devices owned by different people is a bad thing.