How to share an iCloud file or folder with anyone, from the Finder?

myintruder wrote:

Isn't English your first language, maybe? I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

I want to get a link to my shared files before knowing anyone’s address, this was possible in previous versions of macOS. Like you do in Dropbox, Box, etc.

I’m not trying to get a “list of your special people.” I just want a link to my shared file so I can share it with anyone, without needing their email addresses.

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you didn't mean to be very rude to people who are volunteering their time trying to help you. You asked where the Copy Link button had gone to. You were given an answer. Obviously, things have changed since sometime in the past. That happens.

You can let Apple know you don't like the change here:

Product Feedback - Apple

Just out of curiosity, how would you share a link with someone if you didn't know their email address? I'm not trying to be snarky. It's a genuine question about your process. It might help you get better answers.

myintruder wrote: … Do you have an answer, where did "Copy Link" move to??

I copied David McKinlay's directions and it worked just like he said.

You get a list of your special people to make it easy, or you can invite someone by email. Then "Copy Link" becomes available.

myintruder wrote:

So how’s that not being rude and wasting people’s time? I don’t know how this forum works, or if (or why) some people do this for free. My impression is that Apple wants to make it look like every post gets an answer, so when you browse the forum, everything looks nice and tidy instead of being useful.

Giving as much information as possible in your question, especially about what it is you're trying to accomplish. When people give you help, if it's not what you need, review your original post and see what you missed that might have caused confusion. Thank the person and explain why the answer doesn't work for you. Don't make snarky comments about people's ability to read or write English. None of this is forum specific.

Hello myintruder

Your answer probably is in the support document called Use iCloud to share and collaborate on files and folders - Apple Support

It notes that the file must be in an iCloud Drive location, which if you have set it up can also be your Desktop and Documents folders.

If you use the Share option in Sequoia you will see a drop-down option at the top of the panel, and one of the two options is Collaborate. You are then asked to invite people to edit (or view). This allows you to set permissions for the invited people to edit or to view.

Read the support document for all the instructions.

To share an iCloud file or folder from Finder in macOS Sonoma (15.5), follow these steps:

1. Open Finder and navigate to the iCloud Drive location.
2. Right-click on the file or folder you want to share.
3. Select Share from the context menu. If you don't see Copy Link, you'll likely see Share Options instead.
4. Choose Add People to open sharing settings, where you can invite others via email or copy a link.

Make sure your sharing settings allow others to view or edit as needed. If you're still having trouble, ensure that your macOS and iCloud settings are properly configured.

The Invite With Link option appears when you select Collaborate in the box that pops up when you right click on a file and select Share.

Then after you enter the name of a person to share with you will also get a Copy Link button. The link is then copied to your clipboard and forwarded to your recipient.