iCloud automatically downloads items to my Mac - how can I stop this?

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iCloud automatically downloads items to my Mac - how can I stop this?

Hello,

I am part of a family subscription for iCloud+ with 2TB of storage. I am designated as an Adult user, but I can easily ask the manager to change settings if needed. I am having a problem that is causing the storage drives on my family's 2019 21" iMac and my personal 2020 MacBook Air (M1) to fill up unnecessarily.

This is what I have noticed about the problem:

Often, when I log on to either of the Macs, I notice that iCloud has a downloading "pie slice" symbol next to it. When I click on that symbol, it usually shows that it is downloading a large amount of data is being downloaded to my storage drive (usually >10 GB, sometimes >50 GB.) If I have time, I then go into the iCloud Drive folder and select as many folders as I can find that do not have the "download cloud" symbol next to them and click "Remove Download." However, when I check on the downloading progress, it usually continues saying, "Downloading [however many] files, [however many] GB left" as if my removing of downloads did nothing to change its progress.
When I check back later, it appears that iCloud has downloaded many of the folders and files I designated to "remove download." This is the most annoying part of the problem, since I must remove downloads every time I notice if I want to keep my storage drive open. I wish there was a way to turn off the automatic downloading.
I called Apple Support on the phone and they said I should try turning on "store on my device" - or something like that - which would store iCloud data on my Mac until it ran out of space. I don't want to do this, since I want to have control of the space on my Mac instead of iCloud automatically deciding for me what I have on my drive. I did try turning it on, however, and it did what it said it would, which undid a lot of the "remove download" work I had done.

If anyone knows how to turn off this feature, I would be grateful for your advice! Thank you!

iMac Line (2012 and Later)

Posted on Dec 4, 2021 11:11 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

muguy

Level 10

82,363 points

Dec 4, 2021 1:52 PM in response to invisiblue

No. iCloud is primarily a synchronization service, not offline storage. You would have to go to iCloud.com using a browser, download the file you wish to use. Then upload it again once completed and delete the prior version.

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Answer 2

muguy

Level 10

82,363 points

Dec 4, 2021 12:19 PM in response to invisiblue

System Preferences > Apple ID > iCloud

You'll see a checkbox for optimize. (mine is unchecked as I store all of my docs on my computer for faster access and to allow backing up the files through Time Machine)

If you did not previously have optimize selected, then your sync will include all of your files. Turn on optimize will remove downloaded files (offloading to iCloud) as space is needed. The sync process can be "watched" by clicking on the info icon next to iCloud Drive. You won't really see offloading happening by watching.

Not sure how photos got in there. If you turn off photos in iCloud, they will no longer sync between devices.

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Answer 3

muguy

Level 10

82,363 points

Dec 4, 2021 11:17 AM in response to invisiblue

You have two options:

You can turn off optimize storage, in which case all of your files will be downloaded to your Mac and synced in the cloud.

You can optimize storage and your computer will manage your file storage based on available space, offloading the oldest/largest first.

If you have optimize turned on, let it finish the entire sync process, even if that eats away at your space. The system will then begin offloading files into the cloud.

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Answer 4

invisiblue Author

Level 1

12 points

Dec 4, 2021 1:42 PM in response to muguy

Thanks! I was able to follow your advice and turn off sync between iCloud Drive and my MacBook Air, so now I have none of what I have stored in iCloud Drive stored there (I checked before deleting - it's still stored safely in iCloud Drive.) Now I'm wondering, is there any way to keep iCloud on in such a way that I can download only the files I need to my computer, without downloading (nearly) everything? Sorry if I'm getting a little repetitive; I just want to be sure I'm fully understanding what to do and how. Thanks again for your help!

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Answer 5

invisiblue Author

Level 1

12 points

Dec 4, 2021 12:11 PM in response to muguy

Thanks for your reply! I forgot to mention in my previous post, both Macs are running Big Sur.

I am wondering: I just tried turning on Optimize Storage on both Macs, and that went well - both said "Completed" with a green check mark after just a few seconds. However, when I tried clicking "Store in iCloud...," a box pops up with the message: "iCloud Photo Library is already turned on." So, if I try clicking that again, this time deselecting "Photos," it processes that for a few seconds (shows a spinning symbol) and then goes back to displaying the button that says "Store in iCloud..."

After that, the amount of free storage on my MacBook Air appears to have increased by about 1 GB, which is not very helpful. iCloud is taking up 219.05 GB of space on my MacBook Air, which only has a 500 GB SSD. I saw you said that I should let it finish the entire sync process - but how can I tell if it has begun?

Another thing: if I turn optimize on, then turn it off after it has synced everything to iCloud, will it stop syncing after that? And, where exactly do I go to turn it on/off? Right now, I'm assuming you mean the settings in Storage Management.

Thanks so much for your help!

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iCloud automatically downloads items to my Mac - how can I stop this?

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