iCloud Drive on iPhone and Mac

iCloud Drive is Apple's answer to a cloud-based storage system. It syncs with your Files app on iPhone and iPad. Over the years, it has improved a lot in terms of usability, including working across various platforms. If you've been storing files in another storage service, like Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive and you want to condense down to just iCloud Drive, you can easily move all of your data with just a few steps.

How to move data from Dropbox to iCloud Drive on a Mac

Dropbox automatically creates a Favorites shortcut in the sidebar of your Finder window, so you can drag and drop files on your Mac.

  1. Open Finder from your Mac's dock.
  2. Click on Dropbox in the sidebar.
  3. Select the files and folders you want to move (or select them all if you want to completely move away from Dropbox reliance).

  4. Drag the files to iCloud Drive in the sidebar of the Finder window.

    Moving files from Dropbox to iCloud Drive on Mac

Your files will sync with iCloud Drive and be removed from Dropbox. If you change your mind (like you forgot you were sharing a folder with someone), you can always drag files and folders back from iCloud Drive into Dropbox the same way.

How to move data from Google Drive to iCloud Drive on a Mac

After you've download Google's Backup and Sync app for Mac and set it up, Google Drive automatically creates a Favorites shortcut in the sidebar of your Finder window, so you can drag and drop files on your Mac.

  1. Open Finder from your Mac's dock.
  2. Click on Google Drive in the sidebar.
  3. Select the files and folders you want to move (or select them all if you want to completely move away from Google Drive reliance).

  4. Drag the files to iCloud Drive in the sidebar of the Finder window.

    Moving files from Google Drive to iCloud Drive on Mac

Your files will sync with iCloud Drive and be removed from Google Drive. If you change your mind, you can always drag files and folders back from iCloud Drive into Google Drive the same way.

A note about Google Drive and macOS High Sierra

While Google's Backup and Sync previously only worked with the older HFS+ file system, the utility has recently been updated to work with the Apple File System (APFS).

How to move data from OneDrive to iCloud Drive on a Mac

One Drive does not automatically create a Favorites shortcut in the sidebar of your Finder window, but you can manually create one.

  1. Open Finder from your Mac's dock.
  2. Click the search bar in the upper right corner of the Finder window.
  3. Enter OneDrive to find the folder.
  4. Select the OneDrive folder (Make sure it is the folder where your files are stored and not the application itself).

  5. Drag the OneDrive folder to the sidebar.

    Creating a Favorites shortcut in the Finder sidebar

After you have created a Favorites shortcut for OneDrive in your Finder window's sidebar, you can easily move files to iCloud Drive.

  1. Open Finder from your Mac's dock.
  2. Click on OneDrive in the sidebar.
  3. Select the files and folders you want to move (or select them all if you want to completely move away from OneDrive reliance).
  4. Drag the files to iCloud Drive in the sidebar of the Finder window.

Moving files from Dropbox to OneDrive on Mac

Your files will sync with iCloud Drive and be removed from OneDrive. If you change your mind, you can always drag files and folders back from iCloud Drive into OneDrive the same way.

How to copy files from Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive into iCloud Drive

If you don't want to actually remove files from Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive, but want a secondary security measure for backing up your data, you can make copies of files.

  1. Open Finder from your Mac's dock.

  2. Click on Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive from the sidebar.

    Copying files to iCloud Drive on Mac

  3. Select the file or files for which you want to make copies.
  4. Right-click inside the Finder window.
  5. Select Copy item(s) from the dropdown menu.
  6. Click on iCloud Drive from the sidebar.
  7. Right-click inside the Finder window.

  8. Select Paste item(s) from the dropdown menu.

    Copying files to iCloud Drive on Mac

Any questions?

Do you have any questions about how to migrate files and folders from Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive to iCloud Drive? Post them in the comments section and I'll help you out.

Update September, 2017: Updated the note about APFS in macOS High Sierra, as Google Backup and Sync now works with the newer file system.

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Updated September 2017: Added a note about Google Drive and APFS compatibility in macOS High Sierra.