iCloud Drive and iCloud Photos Setup

iCloud is two stores under one Apple ID: iCloud Drive holds files and folders, and iCloud Photos holds the photo library. Blober connects to both through Apple's own login page.

• ✅ Browse and download iCloud Drive files and folders
• ✅ Upload, rename, move, and delete in iCloud Drive
• ✅ Browse the Photos timeline and download originals
• ✅ Upload images and videos into Photos, keeping capture dates
• ✅ Delete photos and videos from the library
• ❌ Albums, favorites, or any folder view in Photos
• ❌ Empty the Trash (iCloud has no permanent delete, so space frees after 30 days)

• An Apple ID with iCloud enabled
• Access iCloud Data on the Web turned on (see Turn on Access iCloud Data on the Web)

1. Turn on Access iCloud Data on the Web on your iPhone, iPad or Mac (steps below)
2. Go to Workflows > New Workflow
3. Pick iCloud as source or destination
4. Click Open iCloud Login and sign in on Apple's page (two-factor included)
5. Tick Keep me signed in, then finish the login
6. On the follow-up screen, click Trust so the session is long-lived
7. Wait for iCloud to finish loading; Blober captures the session and closes the window

Blober never sees your Apple ID password. If a session expires, Blober asks you to sign in again with one click.

Blober reads and writes your iCloud data the way iCloud.com does, so Apple's web access must be on. When it is off, Blober shows the error "Access to your iCloud data on the web is off" when you connect.

On an iPhone or iPad:

• iOS or iPadOS 26.4 or later: open Settings, tap your name, tap iCloud, tap iCloud.com, then turn on Allow Data Access.
• Earlier versions: open Settings, tap your name, tap iCloud, then turn on Access iCloud Data on the Web.

On a Mac:

• macOS 26.4 or later: open System Settings, click your name, click iCloud, click Data Access on iCloud.com, then turn on Allow Data Access.
• Earlier versions: open System Settings, click your name, click iCloud, then turn on Access iCloud Data on the Web.

After you change the setting, open the workflow and click Open iCloud Login to connect again.

Advanced Data Protection turns web access off when you turn it on. You can turn web access on again in the same settings. Apple can then ask you to approve access on one of your devices.

If web access is on and you still see the error that iCloud refused access to your data, turn off Advanced Data Protection, then connect again. You find it on the same iCloud settings page, just above web access.

Drive paths mirror Finder, for example /Documents/report.pdf. Photos has no folders, so files are listed by date and cannot live in albums. A photo can be renamed in place, and it can move between the two libraries: Blober copies the file across and deletes the original.

Apple lists other people's items inside Drive, so they appear in the ordinary listing with a shared label. Blober checks your permission on each share. A writable share accepts uploads, renames, moves, and deletes. A read-only share refuses writes, and Blober reports those files as skipped, not failed.

• Images keep the capture date
• Camera raw files such as dng, cr2, arw, nef, orf and raf are skipped because iCloud Photos does not accept them
• A new photo appears in the timeline in seconds; Apple publishes a video on its own schedule, usually within a minute or two

If the account is full, Apple refuses the upload and Blober reports it as an iCloud storage problem, naming the plan or the space to free. Blober does not check the quota with Apple first, and a refused upload leaves no partial file or stranded copy behind.

In iCloud Drive, if the name is already taken, the workflow's deduplication setting decides what happens: the file is skipped (reported as skipped, never as failed) or it replaces the one already there.

iCloud Photos does not let Blober find a photo by its name, so the deduplication setting has no effect there. Apple checks the content itself: a photo or video that is already in the library is skipped, and a different photo with the same name is added as a new item.

Deleting from iCloud Drive moves the item to Trash, where it stays recoverable for 30 days before the space frees up. Deleting inside a shared folder removes the item from the owner's storage, because Trash cannot reach it. Deleting from Photos flags the item deleted and expunges it at once, so it is gone immediately.

• iCloud Drive and iCloud Photos: How to Transfer Files In and Out: the full guide, including how Blober compares with rclone
• How to Move Files and Photos Between Dropbox and iCloud: Dropbox to iCloud Drive or iCloud Photos, and back
• Copy GoPro Footage and Other Media to a Dropbox Team Folder: copy iCloud Photos into a team folder in a work Dropbox account
• Blober vs rclone: where a desktop app fits next to a command-line tool

• iCloud
• Apple: Advanced Data Protection
• Apple: Manage web access to your iCloud data
• Apple: Manage access to iCloud.com