Transfer files from iCloud Drive to Box
Server to server, without downloading anything to your computer.
How it works
Connect both accounts once. ShiftMyData then talks to iCloud Drive and Box directly and streams the files between them in memory — nothing is written to our disks, and nothing travels down to your machine and back up again. The job runs on a worker, so closing the tab does not stop it.
Will every file be verified?
iCloud Drive exposes no checksum through its API, so files are compared on size and modification time. That is a limit of iCloud Drive rather than of the transfer, and it applies whichever tool you use.
Before you start
- The largest single file Box accepts is set by your plan, from 250 MB on a free account to 150 GB on Enterprise Plus. A bigger one is reported as failed and the rest of the transfer carries on.
- Box refuses a name that starts or ends with a space, and the characters / and \ in a name. Such names are written with look-alike Unicode characters instead of failing, and turn back into the originals if the files are later copied out through ShiftMyData.
- A transfer copies each file's current content, name and modification time; sharing and version history stay behind on iCloud Drive. Business migration carries them where both sides support them.
Sources: support.box.com
Worth knowing about iCloud Drive
Apple publishes no official API for iCloud Drive. The connection uses an unofficial one, signed in with your Apple ID password and a code Apple shows on your device, and Apple can change it without notice -- so treat iCloud as best-effort rather than as something to schedule a nightly job against.
Worth knowing about Box
Box is case-insensitive. Two files differing only in capitalisation collide on arrival, which matters when the source is Linux-hosted object storage.
Steps
- On the Clouds screen, add iCloud Drive: enter your Apple ID and password, then the code Apple shows on one of your devices.
- Add Box the same way: sign in with Box and allow access.
- Pick the source folder in the left pane and the destination folder in the right.
- Choose a mode — copy, mirror, move, or two-way — and start the transfer.
- Leave it. Progress is on the Jobs screen, and a webhook can tell you when it ends.
Questions
Do I have to download my files from iCloud Drive first?
No. The transfer is streamed from iCloud Drive to Box on our servers, so nothing is written to your machine and your home upload speed is not the limit.
What happens if I close my laptop?
The job keeps running. It is queued on a worker rather than in your browser, and the progress is there when you come back.
How do I know every file arrived?
iCloud Drive exposes no checksum through its API, so files are compared on size and modification time. That is a limit of iCloud Drive rather than of the transfer, and it applies whichever tool you use.
Is there a size limit?
None imposed by us. What you move is drawn from your prepaid allowance (30 GB free, then 500 GB for ₹100 or 2,500 GB for ₹500, each valid a year). Box takes single files up to set by your plan, from 250 MB on a free account to 150 GB on Enterprise Plus, and its own storage quota applies.