Apple’s
apps
and
services
usually
work
brilliantly
well
on
Apple
devices,
but
what
about
when
you’re
on
a
computer
that
isn’t
running
macOS?
While
using
Apple’s
apps
on
Windows
isn’t
ideal,
it’s
significantly
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—maybe
you’re
having
to
use
Microsoft’s
operating
system
temporarily
or
wondering
how
buying
a
Windows
laptop
might
limit
what
you
can
do
with
your
existing
Apple
services—here’s
the
state
of
play
right
now.
iCloud for Windows
Your
first
port
of
call
here
should
probably
be
iCloud
for
Windows:
It’s
an
official
Apple
product,
and
it
covers
photos,
calendars,
contacts,
Safari
bookmarks,
passwords
saved
to
iCloud,
and
files
stored
in
iCloud
Drive.
It
doesn’t
install
Apple’s
own
apps
for
these
jobs,
but
it
makes
all
of
these
types
of
data
available
to
programs
in
Windows.
Once
you’ve
signed
in
using
your
Apple
account
credentials,
you
can
choose
the
files
and
the
information
you
want
to
sync
to
Windows.
For
example,
the
utility
will
create
an
iCloud
Photos
tab
in
the
Microsoft
Photos
app,
if
you
want
it
to,
and
add
your
Apple
contacts
and
calendars
to
Outlook.
You
don’t
have
to
enable
all
of
the
features
on
offer—you
can
pick
and
choose
if
you
prefer.
Photo and video syncing is one of the features offered by iCloud for Windows. Screenshot: iCloud for Windows
The
main
iCloud
for
Windows
dashboard
shows
you
the
syncs
you’ve
configured
and
how
much
free
space
you’ve
got
left
in
your
iCloud
storage
locker.
From
here,
you’re
able
to
set
up
links
that
haven’t
yet
been
established
or
turn
off
any
that
you
don’t
need
anymore.
Just
click
on
any
category
to
see
the
available
options.
Perhaps
the
most
notable
import
that
iCloud
for
Windows
doesn’t
handle
is
email.
To
get
your
iCloud
emails
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
credentials.
If
you’ve
got
two-factor
authentication
turned
on
for
your
Apple
ID
(and
you
should
have),
you’ll
need
to
create
an
app-specific
password
from
your
Apple
account
on
the
web—go
to
App-Specific
Passwords,
then
click
the
+
(plus)
icon.
iCloud on the web
Another
option
you
can
use
as
well
as
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
permanent,
but
it’s
arguably
easier
to
use.
Just
sign
in
with
your
Apple
ID
username
and
password,
and
you’ve
got
access
to
web
versions
of
Mail,
Contacts,
Calendar,
Photos,
iCloud
Drive,
Notes,
Reminders,
Pages,
Numbers,
Keynote,
and
even
Find
My.
Everything
works
pretty
much
as
you
would
expect,
and
while
the
web
versions
of
these
apps
can
be
a
little
basic
in
certain
areas,
they’re
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
certain
span
of
dates.
Accessing Apple’s apps through a web browser. Screenshot: iCloud
Regarding
photos
and
videos,
it’s
not
quite
the
same
as
having
the
actual
files
on
your
Windows
computer,
but
maybe
you
don’t
need
that
level
of
synchronization
anyway.
iCloud
Photos
still
lets
you
download
and
upload
images
and
videos
easily
enough,
although
there’s
nothing
in
the
way
of
editing
features.
One
note
on
iCloud
for
the
web:
If
you’ve
turned
on
Advanced
Data
Protection
for
your
iCloud
account
(which
is
generally
a
good
idea),
you’ll
need
to
authorize
the
web
connection
every
time
you
start
a
new
session.
Just
remember
to
have
one
of
your
registered
Apple
devices
on
hand.
Movies, music, and other apps
We
haven’t
covered
everything
because
there’s
still
the
question
of
getting
your
Apple
Music
and
Apple
TV
content
over
to
Windows.
It
did
take
some
time
for
Apple
to
develop
these
apps
for
Microsoft’s
operating
system—quite
a
long
time
after
they’d
appeared
on
macOS—but
you
can
now
get
both
Apple
Music
and
Apple
TV
via
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’re
not
currently
subscribed
to
these
services,
you
can
only
access
files
stored
locally
and
other
content
you’ve
bought
directly
through
Apple
to
keep.
There’s now a dedicated Windows app for Apple TV. Screenshot: Apple TV
If
you
need
to,
you
can
get
at
both
Apple
Music
and
Apple
TV
through
a
web
browser,
though
the
experience
isn’t
as
complete
in
terms
of
features
and
options—and
you’re
unable
to
access
local
files
using
the
web
apps.
It’s
handy
if
you’re
using
someone
else’s
Windows
computer
or
only
want
temporary
access
to
these
apps.
For
any
other
Apple
apps
we’ve
not
mentioned
so
far,
there’s
no
equivalent
on
Windows
you
can
turn
to—at
least
not
yet.
Suppose
you’ve
ever
tried
to
get
at
your
Apple
stuff
on
Windows
in
years
gone
by.
In
that
case,
you’ll
know
that
it’s
now
much
less
of
a
hassle
than
it
once
was:
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.