Can I backup Microsoft Office for Mac documents to my iCloud Drive on my iMac? Can I backup to that drive, PDF files that I have stored in iBooks that were not purchased from iTunes? Thank You.
iMac, OS X Yosemite (10.10.3)
Yes. You can store different types of documents and PDFs too, because iCloud Drive can be used like any other storage service (like Dropbox, for example).
Yes. You can store different types of documents and PDFs too, because iCloud Drive can be used like any other storage service (like Dropbox, for example).
Can I backup Microsoft Office for Mac documents to my iCloud Drive on my iMac? Can I backup to that drive, PDF files that I have stored in iBooks that were not purchased from iTunes? Thank You.
You can store all kinds of documents on iCloud drive, only don't use the specific Mac application folders for your third-party documents. Create your own folders.
But since you are asking about "backup": And you should be aware, that iCloud drive is meant to be your central storage for your working documents, that you want to access from all devices. iCloud Drive is not meant to be a backup. If the copy on iCloud Drive is your only copy, you have no backup. If you modify or delete a file on iCloud drive the change will sync to all devices and you will not be able to restore it without a backup.
You may want to have a look at tis document: iCloud Drive FAQ
With iCloud Drive, you can safely store all your presentations, spreadsheets, PDFs, images, and any other kind of document in iCloud. Documents you store in iCloud Drive will be kept up to date across all of your devices, and you can access them from your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or PC.
Here's what you can do with iCloud Drive:
- Store and access all of your documents in one place from any of your devices
- Keep files and folders up to date across all your devices
- Create new files and folders from iCloud-enabled apps
- Work on the same file across multiple apps
If you use Time Machine to backup your Mac, your iCloud Drive documents will also be included in the backup.
Thank you for the quick response. I am a senior citizen who has made a total break from Microsoft devices and have gone all Apple since last year. So I am still learning the Apple system. I used the wrong terminology when I said backup. I do have an external HD and use Time Machine for automatic backups. I want to use iDrive, like you said, for central storage.
I use iBooks for a one stop location for my PDF files, which are mainly digitized magazine subscriptions and user guide/manuals for all my household appliances and electronics. Why shouldn't I use iBooks to store my PDF's? Will iCloud Drive not recognize these PDF's in iBooks? I know how to put all my PDF's into a new folder and store it in Documents. Will iCloud Drive then automatically store them?
What a great resource the Community is and thanks to people like you where us old folks can get specific answers to our questions!
To store PDFs in iCloud Drive you could use the Preview folder on iCloud drive. iBooks can open PDF files that are stored in the Preview folder.
iCloud Drive has specialised folders - application collections - for the applications that can sync from iCloud Drive to the mobile devices - and one of these folders is "Preview". That is good place to store PDF files.
What can I backup to iCloud Drive?
