What Does Your Cloud Service Actually Protect? iCloud, OneDrive and Dropbox Compared

The question most people ask is which cloud service is best. A more useful question is what each one would do for you when something goes wrong. Cloud storage helps in some situations and does very little in others, and it is better to find that out now.

This guide goes through the problems we see most often and what iCloud, OneDrive and Dropbox can do about each one. It is part of our complete backup guide for Mac, iPhone and iPad. If you would like the basic ideas first, start with Cloud Storage Is Not Always a Backup.

You delete something by mistake

This is the problem all three handle best. Each of them keeps deleted files for a while, so a quick change of mind is usually fine.

With iCloud, Apple says recently deleted iCloud Drive files can be recovered for 30 days. Photos work the same way, with one important detail. When you use iCloud Photos, deleting a photo on one device deletes it on all your other devices as well. Apple says you have 30 days to recover it from the Recently Deleted album before it is permanently removed.

OneDrive keeps deleted files in a recycle bin. Microsoft says you can restore files deleted in the last 30 days on a personal account, or the last 93 days on a work or school account, unless the administrator has changed that. A file that has been permanently deleted from the recycle bin cannot be recovered.

The window depends on your plan. Basic, Plus and Family accounts can recover deletions from the last 30 days, and business plans get longer, up to 365 days. After that, the file is gone.

You save over a good document

This is a different problem. Nothing has been deleted, but the version you wanted has been replaced.

OneDrive and Dropbox both help here. OneDrive keeps earlier versions of a file, and you can restore one from the OneDrive website. On a work account, the administrator may have turned off the option that keeps earlier copies. Dropbox also keeps earlier copies of changed files, so you can restore an older version. How far back you can go depends on the same plan limits, from 30 days upwards.

iCloud Drive can recover deleted files. We would not count on iCloud Drive for this. A Time Machine backup on your Mac is the safer answer, because it keeps older copies of your files by design.

Many files are damaged at once

A virus that locks your files, or a large number moved or deleted by accident, is a bigger problem than one lost document. This is where OneDrive and Dropbox offer something extra.

Microsoft 365 subscribers can restore their whole OneDrive to an earlier time within the last 30 days. It can undo changes after files are deleted, overwritten, corrupted or infected by malware. OneDrive can also detect a ransomware attack, tell you, and guide you through recovery. Microsoft says that if you are not a subscriber, your first notification and recovery is free.

Dropbox has a tool called Rewind. It takes a folder, or a whole account, back to a point in time, and is best for ransomware and for accidental moves or deletions of a lot of files. It is only available on Plus, Family, Professional, Essentials and team accounts, so it is not part of a free Basic plan.

We could not find a similar whole-account rollback in Apple’s iCloud Drive pages. If you rely mainly on iCloud, a separate backup matters even more for this kind of problem.

Your Mac is lost, stolen or broken

Here the cloud services help, but only for what they hold. Your files are still available on another device or on the website, and that is a great comfort. The question is what is not in the cloud.

Each service can look after your Desktop and Documents folders on a Mac if you turn it on. With iCloud, these folders move into iCloud Drive. With OneDrive, this needs the standalone OneDrive app, not the Mac App Store version, and the app needs Full Disk Access.

A work account may have it switched off. Dropbox Backup is a separate feature that copies folders you choose from your home folder, and from an external drive. You can restore the whole Dropbox backup to a new computer, or download just the folders you need.

None of this gives you a copy of the Mac itself. Anything you did not put in the service stays behind, and so do your apps and settings. A Time Machine backup covers those. For a replacement Mac, Setting Up a New Mac from Your Backup shows how to use it, and Backing Up Your Mac at Home explains how to set it up.

You cannot get into your account

This is the one that catches people out, because everything depends on a single sign-in. If you lose access to your Apple Account, you cannot reach your iCloud files until you get it back.

Apple’s account recovery is built to protect you from thieves, and that makes it slow. It might take several days or longer, and Apple Support cannot shorten the wait. If your only copy of something is in that account, you simply have to wait.

The practical advice is to keep your recovery details up to date. That means a phone number you still have and, where the service offers it, a trusted device. Do the same for your Microsoft and Dropbox accounts. It is also a good reason to have a copy of anything important that does not depend on a single account.

What it all adds up to

Cloud storage is very good at keeping your files available and at undoing everyday mistakes. For a deleted file, it is often all you need. For a document you saved over, OneDrive and Dropbox help, and iCloud may not.

For a serious problem, such as ransomware, a failed Mac or a lost account, the services differ a lot, and none of them replaces a backup of your own. The simple plan is to use cloud storage for access and sharing, keep Time Machine running on your Mac, and keep a separate copy of anything you could not replace. Our guide to backing up an iPhone or iPad covers the phone side.

If you use Microsoft 365 for a business, there is more to know. Does Microsoft 365 Back Up Your Business Data? explains what the built-in tools do and where independent backup fits.

If you would like help working out what is and is not protected, contact Your Mac Tech.