Syncing with iCloud
On the Mac and iPad, iCloud Sync keeps your design library in iCloud Drive, so the same designs — and your saved palettes — are on all your Apple devices and backed up.
Turning iCloud Sync On
iCloud Sync is off for new installs, so your designs stay on your device unless you choose otherwise.
- First run — When iCloud is available, the iCloud Sync window asks whether to turn it on. Click Turn On, or Not now to keep your designs on this device
- Any time — Open Settings and click iCloud Sync… (on the Mac, you can also choose File > Move Projects to iCloud…), then click Enable
Your choice is remembered in iCloud, so a reinstall or another device signed in to the same Apple Account picks it up without asking again.
The iCloud Sync window always tells you where your designs are kept right now:
| Status | Where your designs are |
|---|---|
| On (Mac) | In iCloud Drive, synced across your Mac and iPad |
| On (iPad) | In iCloud Drive, synced across your devices |
| Off (Mac) | In your library folder on this Mac |
| Off (iPad) | Only on this iPad — not in the Files app, and not synced |
If you aren't signed in to iCloud, or iCloud Drive is off, the window explains how to turn it on in System Settings (Mac) or Settings (iPad): tap your name, then iCloud, and turn on iCloud Drive.
Combining Your Projects
If you have designs in both places — for example, designs made before you turned sync on — the iCloud Sync window offers to Combine them into iCloud. Your folders come too, with the same structure.
When the same name exists in both places, you decide for each one:
- Keep both — Keep both copies
- Overwrite older — Keep only the newer copy
Tick Apply this to all remaining conflicts to answer once for the rest. Identical copies are merged automatically, and nothing is overwritten without your say-so.
Turning iCloud Sync Off
Open Settings > iCloud Sync… and click Turn off sync. You're asked Keep a copy on this device?:
- Keep a copy — Copies your designs, folders included, onto this device so they're available offline
- Turn off without copying — Your designs stay in iCloud but won't be shown on this device
- Cancel — Leave sync on
iCloud keeps the originals either way. If some designs couldn't be copied, Keep a copy is greyed out — turn off without them (they're safe in iCloud), or cancel and try again later.
Seeing Your Files
With iCloud Sync on, your designs are in a StitchALot Studio folder in iCloud Drive:
- Mac — Finder > iCloud Drive > StitchALot Studio
- iPad — Files app > iCloud Drive > StitchALot Studio
You can back up or copy your .stitchalot files there directly.
Sync Status on iPad
On the iPad Home screen, design cards show their iCloud status:
- Grey cloud — Not downloaded to this iPad yet. Tap the design to download and open it (this can take up to 30 seconds)
- Pulsing blue cloud — Syncing now
- No icon — Up to date
Designs that iCloud has moved off the iPad to save space keep their thumbnails, so nothing looks lost.
When iCloud Isn't Available
If iCloud Sync is on but iCloud can't be reached, a banner on the Home screen says your synced designs are safe in iCloud but not shown right now. Tap Retry, or Work on this device to carry on with local designs.
Good to Know
- If iCloud saves two versions of a design at nearly the same time, the extra copy is renamed "(conflicted copy N)" so your main file is never overwritten
- iCloud Sync isn't available on Windows or Android
- iCloud Sync and StitchALot Cloud can't both sync the same library — turn one off before turning the other on