Creating a iCloud Account. And Getting started.

Set up iCloud on all your Devices. 

The rest is automatic.

Get iCloud up and running on your Mac in a few easy steps. Then set up iCloud for your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or PC.

iCloud storage and backup overview

When you sign up for iCloud, you automatically get 5 GB of free storage. Your iCloud storage is used for iCloud Backup, app data and documents stored in iCloud, and iCloud Mail (your @icloud.com email account).

If you run out of space, there are several ways you can increase your available iCloud storage. For example, you can decrease the size of your Camera Roll backup, change which apps you back up, or delete documents and old email messages you no longer need. You can also increase your storage by upgrading your storage plan. For more information, see iCloud storage management overview and Upgrade your iCloud storage.

What iCloud backs up

You have important information on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. iCloud automatically backs up your device over Wi-Fi every day while it’s turned on, locked, and connected to a power source. With your device information backed up in iCloud, you can easily set up a new device or restore information on one you already have.

Here’s what iCloud backs up:

• Purchase history for music, movies, TV shows, apps, and books
  Your iCloud backup includes information about the content you have purchased, but not the purchased content itself. When you restore from an iCloud backup, your purchased content is automatically downloaded from the iTunes Store, App Store, or iBooks Store. Some types of content aren’t downloaded automatically in all countries, and previous purchases may be unavailable if they have been refunded or are no longer available in the store. For more information, see the Apple Support article iTunes in the Cloud availability by country. Some types of content aren’t available in all countries. For more information, see the Apple Support article Which types of items can I buy in my country?.

Your iOS device backup only includes data and settings stored on your device. It doesn’t include data already stored in iCloud, for example contacts, calendars, bookmarks, mail messages, notes, shared photo streams, My Photo Stream, and documents you save in iCloud using iOS apps and Mac apps.

It’s important to back up your iOS device, just as you should your Mac. You can back your iPad or iPhone up to your computer using iTunes, or you can back it up to Apple’s iCloud. If you do the latter, the device backs up whenever you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network, keeping your data well protected.

But iCould has its limits, namely the measly 5GB of free storage you get to cover all devices associated with your Apple ID. You might find yourself running out of space, especially if you have more than one iOS device and use iCloud for email and document storage. Here are some tips for optimizing your iPhone and iPad backups.

If you recently picked up a new Mac, iPhone, iPod, or iPad, you may have seen mention of something called iCloud when setting up your device. If you don't already know, iCloud is a free syncing and backup service from Apple that aims to keep all of your devices—mobile devices running iOS 5 or later and desktop computers running OS X Lion or later, or Windows Vista or later—on the same page, with the same data, no matter which one you’re using at any given moment.

We’ve written before about what you get with your iCloud account. But what if you’re unsure about how to set up iCloud in the first place and how to get it to work on your Mac, PC, iOS device, and Apple TV? We'll show you.

Sign up for an iCloud account

A few notes before we begin: Although signing up for iCloud is free, you can’t do so just anywhere. You must create an account on either a mobile device running iOS 5 or later or a Mac running OS X 10.7.5 or later. Unfortunately, Windows users have to create an account on one of these platforms before they can log in from a PC.

Apple also limits you to creating ten iCloud accounts per device. You should ever need only one or two, so you’ll probably never run up against the limit; because the limit persists after full device wipes, however, you may see a warning about it if you’ve received an older iOS device or Mac. If you do get an alert preventing you from making a new iCloud account, I suggest going to your nearest Apple Store, where they should be able to help you sort it out.

Do you have an Apple ID?

If you’ve ever purchased anything from the iTunes Store, App Store, or iBookstore, you have an Apple ID. (It's probably the email address you used to sign up for iTunes.) If you’ve logged in to the iTunes or App Store apps with this Apple ID, you should see the email address already filled out in the Apple ID section of the iCloud screen.

All iCloud accounts stem from Apple IDs, so it’s easy to convert your current Apple ID into an iCloud account. You’ll still be able to use your Apple ID for everything you currently use it for, but you’ll also get all of iCloud’s features. And if you have family members who use this Apple ID, they’ll still be able to use it for purchases without getting all of your iCloud information. (For more on managing multiple Apple IDs and iCloud, see our explanation about common signup scenarios.)

NEW MAIL If you want to add an iCloud email address to your old Apple ID, just turn on the Mail switch (or check the checkbox on your Mac) in your iCloud preference pane.

To convert your Apple ID into an iCloud account, open the iCloud preference screen on your iOS device or Mac, and then sign in to iCloud with your current Apple ID and password. The screen will prompt you to agree to the iCloud terms and conditions; once you do, you’re ready to begin using the service.

Note: If you do convert an Apple ID into an iCloud account, you won’t get an iCloud email address (@icloud.com) by default. If you want one, simply go to Settings > iCloud on an iOS device and toggle the Mail switch on (or, on a Mac, click the checkbox). You’ll then see a prompt to create an iCloud email address to go along with your account.

Starting from scratch

Never used iTunes before? On an iOS device, go ahead and tap the Get a Free Apple ID button at the bottom of the iCloud settings screen. (On a Mac, clickCreate an Apple ID.) The screens will request your birthdate and name, and ask whether you’d like to use a current email address or create an iCloud.com email address for your Apple ID. Even if you elect to use your old email address, you can create a new iCloud.com address after making your account by going toSettings > iCloud and turning on the Mail switch.

STARTER KIT You can use a current email address or create a new one for your Apple ID.

From there, you’ll either have to enter your current email address or type what you want your new iCloud email address to be. The service also prompts you for a password for your account and a security question.

After that, to finish up, simply indicate whether you want to get email updates from Apple, and then agree to the terms and conditions. You’re ready to start using iCloud.

Set up an iOS device

Originally iCloud was introduced as a sync mechanism for iOS devices, and consequently the iCloud signup process is most straightforward on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod. You need a device running iOS 5 or later; if your iPhone or iPod is still running iOS 4, you can't get in on the iCloud action until you upgrade.

When you first set up your device, you should have seen a screen asking you to sign in or sign up for an Apple ID and iCloud; even if you chose not to set that up when you first unboxed the gadget, getting an account is simple.

On your device, open the Settings app and tap the iCloud entry. You’ll see a space for logging in with an Apple ID and password, and a Get a Free Apple IDbutton at the bottom.

Once you’ve set up iCloud on your iOS device, most of it starts working automatically: It syncs your email (if you've set that up), along with any previously created contacts, calendars, reminders, notes, Passbook passes (iPhone-only), and Safari bookmarks, to its central online server. Photo Stream, too, starts automatically uploading the last 1000 photos you’ve taken. All iCloud options are on by default; if you want iCloud not to sync a specific item type, just tap the appropriate toggle to turn it off.

FULL BOAT On iOS, you have access to almost all iCloud features.

You can also start creating backups of your iOS devices by going to Settings > iCloud > Storage and Backup > Back Up Now.

Set up a Mac

The Mac setup process is very similar to that of an iPad, iPhone, or iPod: You use the iCloud settings pane in System Preferences. To add or create an iCloud account, your computer needs to be running OS X 10.7.5; any earlier, and you won’t have that pane. (Thomas Brand’s Egg Freckles blog has a few suggestionsfor using parts of iCloud on older systems.)

iCLOUDY GATES The iCloud preference pane on a Mac lets you sign in with your Apple ID or create one on the spot.

As on an iOS device, once you’ve set up iCloud on your Mac, it syncs your email (if you have set that up), contacts, calendars, and so on. All options are on by default except for 'Back to My Mac', which you must turn on manually; again, if you want iCloud not to sync specific data, just click the respective toggle to turn it off.

CHECKBOXES, CHECKBOXES Don’t want to enable certain iCloud features? Just uncheck those checkboxes.

Unlike with iOS devices, you can’t create iCloud backups of your Mac—in part because said backups would likely eat up all your iCloud storage space, given the size of most Mac hard drives. But your Mac does offer support for iCloud’s data sync, allowing iCloud-compatible programs to store their documents and data there.

Set up a PC

In contrast to iOS devices and Macs, a Windows PC doesn’t come with any kind of iCloud control panel preinstalled; you first have to download it from Apple’s website. And, as noted above, your PC is also the only device you can’t use to create an iCloud account, so you’ll need to have first made one on your Mac or iOS device.

When you sign in to the control panel for the first time, it asks whether you want to send diagnostic and usage information to Apple; accepting this arrangement allows the company to automatically (and anonymously) collect data on any crashes you might have related to iCloud, and to send that data back to its central servers to prevent similar crashes from happening in the future.

SIMPLE SYNC You don’t get as many options for syncing iCloud information on Windows as you do on the Mac or on iOS.

Your sync options for iCloud on the PC are limited in comparison to those on iOS devices and the Mac: You can sync email (if you’ve created an iCloud.com account); contacts, calendars, and tasks in Outlook; Web browser bookmarks; and your Photo Stream. Unfortunately, the Windows operating system doesn’t support syncing reminders, notes, iCloud data, or PC versions of Back to My Mac or Find My Mac.

If you need to make a change to your reminders and notes (or if you just want to see them), you can still access them online via iCloud.com.

Set up an Apple TV

Although your Apple TV doesn’t have access to iCloud’s calendars, reminders, notes, or mail, you can still access iCloud features such as Photo Stream and iTunes Match when you log in with the Apple ID tied to your iCloud account. To do so, go to the Settings screen of your Apple TV, click iTunes Store, and enter your account information.