[iOS] Troubleshooting iCloud Drive

Posted in iOS Updated on .
Written by Peter Steinberger

This article explains how to troubleshoot problems when iCloud Drive is not working as expected.

This guide helps you to solve issues with iCloud Drive support in PDF Viewer. If files are not showing up on all devices or iCloud Drive is not available in PDF Viewer, this guide contains troubleshooting steps to resolve these problems.

System Requirements

In order to use iCloud Drive your devices need to meet the following requirements:

  • iOS: PDF Viewer 1.6

  • macOS: 10.12 Sierra or newer

General Setup

  • Make sure you are logged in to the same iCloud account on all devices
    - On iOS go to Settings > tap on your name on top of the list. The iCloud account is shown right under your name
    - On macOS go to  > System Settings > iCloud. Your iCloud account is shown on the left under your name

  • Make sure iCloud Drive is enabled for PDF Viewer
    - On iOS go in the iCloud settings from the previous step. Check that 'iCloud Drive' is enabled in the list. Scroll further down to 'PDF Viewer' and make sure it is enabled as well.
    - On macOS go to the iCloud settings from the previous step, check that 'iCloud Drive' is enabled in the list.

  • Make sure all devices are connected to the internet. On an iPhone make sure you are connected to a WiFi network or enable cellular data usage for iCloud under Settings > Mobile Data > iCloud Drive.

  • Make sure there is space left on iCloud Drive. The free plan only comes with 5GB of cloud storage.

Troubleshooting Sync Related Problems

If your files still are not showing up on one or multiple devices after completing the steps under 'General Setup', continue with these steps to ensure syncing between devices works as expected.

First, go to iCloud.com and check if the files are appearing there and have the latest changes in them. If the files are available on iCloud.com, continue the following steps on the device that is not getting the updates, if the files are not available on iCloud.com, continue the following steps on the device that added the file to iCloud Drive or last modified it.

  • Turn iCloud Drive off and on again in the device's settings. You probably only have to do that on the device that is not receiving updates, but doing it on all your devices is a safer bet.

  • Restart the device. This restarts the processes in the background that are responsible for updating iCloud Drive.
    - iOS: Hold down the power button until the shutdown slider appears and slide it. After the shutdown completes, hold the power button again until the device starts.
    - macOS:  > Restart...

  • Check the Apple System Status page and check if 'iCloud Drive' is available.

  • Verify the correct time and date is set on your device. If the time is not set correctly, iCloud Drive may not communicate with the server. If the time or the date is not correct, follow these steps:
    - iOS: Go to Settings > General > Date & Time. Make sure 'Set Automatically' is turned on.
    - macOS: Go to  > System Settings > Date & Time. In the Date & Time tab make sure 'Set date and time automatically' is enabled.

  • Make sure you are not behind a firewall that blocks incoming or outgoing traffic to iCloud. On macOS, if you are using tools like Little Snitch, TCPBlock, or other network tools, disable them or make sure they are configured properly.

  • Sometimes it takes up to 72 hours for iCloud to propagate new files or folders.

  • Sign out from iCloud on all your devices and then sign in again helped some users. Be aware that this might trigger more changes, like requiring to re-add Apple Pay.

If all of this does not fix your issues, please contact our support.

Filed under iOS
Go back to the FAQ Home Page

Copyright © 2010-2024 PSPDFKit GmbH. All Rights Reserved.