Share an iCloud Drive folder from your Mac.

Before you start

Apple says a file or folder has to be in iCloud Drive before you can share it this way. If iCloud Drive isn’t on yet: System Settings > your name > iCloud > Drive, then turn on “Sync this Mac.”

Share the folder

1. Open a Finder window and click iCloud Drive in the sidebar.
2. Select the folder (or file), click the Share button, and choose Share a Link. You can also Control-click it and choose Share.
3. Click the permissions line under Share a Link, then pick who can access it:
   • People you choose: only the people you invite.
   • Anyone with the link: anyone who gets the link, and they can pass it on.
4. Under Permissions, pick Can edit or Can view or download.
5. Send the invitation by Mail, Messages or AirDrop, or choose Copy Link.

Apple adds two notes. With People you choose, you can tick “Allow access requests” so others with the link can ask you for access (requests go to your Apple Account email). And if you share the link in a group message, everyone in that thread gets access.

How to copy an iCloud link on a Mac

For something you’ve already shared: in iCloud Drive, Control-click it, choose Manage Shared Folder (or Manage Shared File), then click Copy Link. Paste it into an email, a message or any other app.

What the other person sees

They click the link, then Open, and the item is added to their iCloud Drive. Apple says it then shows up wherever they’re signed in to their Apple Account: iCloud Drive on a Mac, the Files app on iPhone or iPad, iCloud.com, or a Windows PC with iCloud for Windows.

Shared folders work as a whole

• Settings apply to the folder. You can’t give one file inside it different settings.
• Anything you drag into the shared folder is shared with everyone in it. Drag something out and they all lose it.
• Anyone who can change files can also add and remove them.

Change or stop sharing

1. In iCloud Drive, Control-click the folder and choose Manage Shared Folder.
2. Add people, change Can edit to view only, remove one person, or click Stop Sharing for everyone.

Moving the folder out of iCloud Drive, or deleting it, also stops sharing. But anyone who already made their own copy keeps it.

Just want to send a copy?

If nobody needs to edit it, Apple suggests Share > Send a Copy, then AirDrop or Mail. A folder needs zipping first for email: see Email a folder from your Mac. Someone on Android? Apple’s guide doesn’t list Android, so email the file or use a Google Drive link set to Anyone with the link.

Sources: Apple Mac User Guide Use iCloud to share and collaborate on files and folders, Add or remove shared folders and files in iCloud Drive and Store files in iCloud Drive, checked October 27, 2026.

For the people you send to every week: Sendoff

A shared folder is great for a project. For the everyday file to the same few people, like your accountant or your teammate, Sendoff is quicker. It’s a Mac app that lives in the notch and sends the file by Gmail or iMessage. Drop it, pick the person, press Send off. It ranks your regulars first, remembers each person’s channel, and gives you 3 seconds to undo.

Join the waitlist below, and tick the beta box if you want to test it first.