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RcloneView + iCloud Drive: Secure Apple Cloud Backups with Built-In Terminal

· 3 min read
Tayson
Tayson
Senior Engineer

iCloud Drive is popular, but enterprise-grade backup workflows are not built in. RcloneView bridges the gap by letting you add iCloud via the built-in Terminal, then manage everything visually with Compare, Sync, and Jobs.

If you want a reliable way to back up iCloud Drive to Google Drive, S3, or a local disk, you need two things: rclone's iCloud backend and a GUI for safe, repeatable workflows. RcloneView delivers both in one place.

RcloneView app preview

Manage & Sync All Clouds in One Place

RcloneView is a cross-platform GUI for rclone. Compare folders, transfer or sync files, and automate multi-cloud workflows with a clean, visual interface.

  • One-click jobs: Copy · Sync · Compare
  • Schedulers & history for reliable automation
  • Works with Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, S3, WebDAV, SFTP and more
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Get Started Free →

Free core features. Plus automations available.

Why iCloud backups are tricky​

  • iCloud requires interactive Apple ID login and 2FA.
  • Native tools lack cross-cloud backup or scheduling.
  • CLI-only setups are powerful but easy to misconfigure.

RcloneView solves this by letting you run the required CLI steps in its built-in Terminal, then manage everything in the GUI afterward.

Step 1: Open the RcloneView Terminal​

Use the built-in Terminal to run rclone commands without opening an external shell.

RcloneView Terminal tab

Step 2: Add iCloud Drive using rclone config​

iCloud currently requires CLI configuration due to Apple 2FA. Run rclone config inside the Terminal and follow the prompts:

rclone config

Key prompts you will see:

  • Storage: select iclouddrive (or its number)
  • Apple ID: your iCloud email
  • Password: your Apple ID password
  • 2FA code: enter the code sent to your trusted device

Reference guide (screenshots + full steps):
/support/howto/remote-storage-connection-settings/connect-using-cli/add-icloud-drive

Step 3: Confirm the new remote in RcloneView​

Once the remote is created, it appears in Remote Manager automatically.

Remote Manager

From here, you can open it in Explorer and use the normal GUI workflow.

Step 4: Use GUI tools for safe backups​

Compare before you Sync​

Run Compare to see what will change before a sync touches your data.

Compare results filters

Guide: /support/howto/rcloneview-basic/compare-folder-contents

Sync iCloud to another cloud​

Select iCloud as the source and your backup target (Drive, S3, external disk) as destination.

Sync configure storage

Guide: /support/howto/rcloneview-basic/synchronize-remote-storages

Save as a Job and schedule it​

Save the Sync as a Job for recurring backups (Plus license).

Add job schedulingCreate job schedule

Guides: /support/howto/rcloneview-basic/create-sync-jobs, /support/howto/rcloneview-advanced/job-scheduling-and-execution

Best practices for iCloud backups​

  • Use a dedicated destination folder to keep backups organized.
  • Start with a dry run to validate the sync direction.
  • Keep Apple ID 2FA ready during initial setup.
  • Monitor Job History to detect failures early.
Sync dry run Job history

Who this workflow is for​

  • Beginners who want a visual safety net.
  • Engineers who need CLI flexibility but prefer GUI operations.
  • IT admins who want repeatable, auditable backup jobs.

Conclusion​

iCloud Drive can be backed up safely and repeatedly when you combine rclone CLI with a visual control layer. Use the RcloneView Terminal once to set up iCloud, then run everything else in the GUI for speed, safety, and clarity.

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