Not able to download folders from icloud web. only files.

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Level 1

4 points

Not able to download folders from icloud web. only files.

It seems this is just a feature apple does not allow because they want to make it difficult to migrate files from their icloud and just charge you for more storage space. I do not want to synch icloud with my machine because i don't have enough local storage space for that. I JUST WANT TO DOWNLOAD ONE FOLDER. The only work around seems to be to zip the folder in IOS files app, but this is not ideal when that one folder is gigs and gigs. Also when i tried going into the folder and selecting multiple files - it want to download them ONE AT A TIME. It won't just download the entire selection as a zip, like a sensible app would. Just enable folder downloading Apple! Is there any other workable workarounds for this?

Posted on Sep 20, 2024 8:20 AM

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Answer 1

Sep 20, 2024 9:37 AM in response to gxtpo

We are just users like you. Some of us hang around here from time to time in case our experience may help someone. We don't get paid and we don't have a schedule, and leaving an angry post won't encourage us to offer any help. No one here has to answer your post, and you're much more likely to get results if you are are polite and DON'T YELL AT US WITH ALL CAPS.

By the way, folders work fine in my iCloud Drive folder, just like in any other folder on my Mac. But you didn't tell us what device you are using or what OS or settings-- things that you are asked to provide when you post.

If you want to let Apple know how you feel, then go here:

Feedback - Photos - Apple

I think they are required to read what you send, but they will only pay attention if you are polite and serious.

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Answer 2

gxtpo Author

Level 1

4 points

Sep 23, 2024 11:44 AM in response to Richard.Taylor

Hi Richard. Apologies. I have become the literal cliche of man yelling at cloud. About icloud. Didn't mean to yell at anybody personally. I don't think there is an actual solution. I just want to be able to log in to my icloud on my desktop, and download a folder onto a removable hard drive. There is no way to do this. Note i am talking about files - not photos. And I do not want to synch icloud on my Mac, because it just downloads everything and fills up local hard drive space. So if you logo into the icloud in web browser, navigate to files and try download a folder - you just can't. You can only download files - and only one at a time at that. Pretty frustrating, but in the grand scheme of things...not really that important. Thanks for taking the time to teach me my manners Richard :)

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Answer 3

Sep 23, 2024 5:35 PM in response to gxtpo

Cool. I

don't download from iCloud.com. Everything that is there is on my Mac. iCloud Drive is just a folder on my Mac, and everything at iCloud.com is also on my Mac.

If you use "Optimize," it confuses things a bit. If you have "Optimize Mac Storage" turned on, then when your Mac's hard drive gets really full, some lesser used files will be removed to make room. When you need one of those removed files, the Mac will grab the copy at iCloud.com and copy it to your Mac where it will again become a local file. You always use local files. This should all happen transparently. Perhaps the biggest downside of "Optimize" is that backups may not include all your files. I don't do "Optimize" on my Mac, though I use it on my iPhone which has way less storage. To keep the room I need on my MacBook, I put stuff on a tiny (like 1 ounce) SSD that I carry around. I try to keep 20% of my internal drive free.

To get a folder from my iCloud Drive to an external drive, I just drag it there on my Mac. If you have "Optimize" turned on, the the Mac may have to copy files and folders from iCloud to make the copy on the external drive, so it might take a while.

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