Apple’s apps and services usually work great on Apple devices, but what if you’re using a computer that’s not running macOS? While using Apple’s apps on Windows isn’t ideal, it’s a lot easier than it used to be – and you can now get most of your Apple information from a Windows desktop or laptop.
Whatever your scenario, perhaps you need to temporarily use Microsoft’s operating system or are wondering how to purchase one Windows laptop could limit what you can do with your existing Apple services – here’s the current state of things.
iCloud for Windows
Your first port of call should probably be here iCloud for Windows: It is an official Apple product and includes photos, calendars, contacts, Safari bookmarks, passwords saved in iCloud and files saved in iCloud Drive. Apple’s own apps are not installed to perform these tasks, but all of these types of data are made available to programs in Windows.
Once you’ve signed in with your Apple account credentials, you can select the files and information you want to sync with Windows. For example, if necessary, the utility creates an iCloud Photos tab in the Microsoft Photos app and adds your Apple contacts and calendars to Outlook. You don’t have to activate all the features offered – you can choose as you like.
The main iCloud for Windows dashboard shows you the syncs you’ve configured and how much free space you have left in your iCloud storage. From here you can set up links that have not yet been set up or deactivate links that are no longer needed. Simply click on a category to see the available options.
Perhaps the most notable import that iCloud for Windows doesn’t handle is email. To get your iCloud email in Outlook for Windows, open Outlook and click the gear icon in the top right corner. Choose Accounts And Add account, then enter your Apple email account login information. If you have two-factor authentication enabled for your Apple ID (and you should), you’ll need to create an app-specific password Your Apple account on the Internet – go to App-specific passwordsand then click + (Plus) symbol.
iCloud on the web
Another option you can use alongside or instead of iCloud for Windows is iCloud on the web: You don’t get the same tight integration with your Windows programs and it’s not as durable, but it’s arguably easier to use. Simply sign in with your Apple ID username and password and you’ll have access to web versions of Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Photos, iCloud Drive, Notes, Reminders, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, and even Find My.
Everything works as you would expect, and although the web versions of these apps can be a bit basic in certain areas, they are good enough for most people. For example, iCloud Mail lets you set up rules for incoming messages and automatic replies to emails based on a specific time period.
As far as photos and videos go, it’s not quite the same as having the actual files on your Windows computer, but maybe you don’t need that level of sync anyway. With iCloud Photos, you can still easily download and upload images and videos, although there’s nothing in the way of editing features.
A note about iCloud for the web: If you have it enabled Advanced data protection Your iCloud account (which is generally a good idea) requires you to authorize the web connection every time you start a new session. Make sure you have one of your registered Apple devices handy.
Movies, music and other apps
We haven’t covered everything yet because there’s still the question of whether you’ll get yours Apple Music And Apple TV Transfer content to Windows. It took Apple some time to develop these apps for Microsoft’s operating system – quite a long time after they appeared on macOS – but now you can get both Apple Music and Apple TV through the Microsoft Store.
As with MacOS, these applications can be used with or without an active subscription to Apple Music or Apple TV Plus. Of course, if you don’t currently subscribe to these services, you’ll only be able to access locally stored files and other content that you’ve purchased directly through Apple to keep.
If necessary, you can achieve both Apple Music And Apple TV via a web browser, although the experience isn’t as complete in terms of features and options – and you can’t access local files via the web apps. This is handy if you’re using someone else’s Windows computer or just want temporary access to these apps.
For any other Apple apps we haven’t mentioned yet, there’s no equivalent on Windows that you can fall back on – at least not yet. Let’s say you’ve ever tried to access your Apple files on Windows in the past few years. Then know that it’s a lot less hassle now than it used to be: just because you’re heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t also invest in a Windows desktop or laptop.