Managing iCloud Drive with multiple macs

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Managing iCloud Drive with multiple macs

Sorry for all the detail here - complicated issues. After decades of using Macs and ignoring iCloud, I want to start using it as a sync/backup platform. However it seems to be difficult to find online answers to some simple questions about how it works. The more I read, I am realising that iCloud Drive seems to be really more of a syncing platform than a backup platform. I hope to use it for both.

If I have two Macs with desktop and documents synced in iCloud Drive, will iCloud merge everything or can I keep these separate? The general answer seems to be that everything is merged, but it's not clear. Machines will be using the same Apple ID. I want to be sure that I have continuous uninterrupted offline access to all my documents (but not necessarily photos, as they take up too much space) on my MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020), with its smallish 256GB SSD. However the norm appears to be for everything to be merged, and if you don’t have enough space on one device, iCloud chooses what to keep locally and what to keep in the cloud.

Is there a way to ensure that my documents will always remain on the Macbook SSD? Not so much data, about 15GB.

Possibly complicating this is that I would prefer to have access to the identical set of documents on both machines (the second one being a 2015 iMac 27", which I will replace with a new 27" when Apple releases the M1 version). But I don’t want to sync all the photos as this would exceed the SSD size, possibly triggering a situation where the system chooses to store my documents online only.

I realise that there may be a way to choose whether to sync Photos, independently of documents. However this is reliant on photos being in the Photos app. I have 300GB of photos that are not in Photos. Over time I could import them but I am wary of having them all stored this way without another system, and they are a huge mess and require a lot of culling and editing work before importing them. I need to use iCloud to back up all these pics, and I assume that the way to achieve this would be to simply move the Pictures folder into the Documents folder. However, doing this would create a huge Documents folder that would exceed the MacBook SSD capacity, creating the problem I am trying to avoid.

I see info online suggesting that I can force iCloud to store data locally by right clicking on a folder and selecting 'download now'. However it seems that if files are not used for a certain amount of time, icloud will remove them again. Nonetheless, would this approach resolve my problem? I could have one folder within Documents that contained all the pics, and download the other docs. Would this work if I was travelling for an extended period, say a couple of months, or is the system likely to default back to cloud storage within a timeframe like this?

Thanks for your patience ...

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 12.2

Posted on Feb 15, 2022 5:33 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

destiny241

Community Specialist

Feb 18, 2022 6:25 AM in response to Pduncanj

Hey Pduncanj,

Each app or feature is synced to iCloud. To change those settings, you'd want to use: Change your iCloud settings

We believe the biggest take away would be that iCloud doesn't backup Desktop & Documents, or Photos. It stores the files in iCloud, allowing you to sync the content across your devices. Meaning, the files are no longer stored on the device, but in iCloud.

If you used iCloud Photos in the Photos app, it would allow you the option to keep them in iCloud and not on the device itself. Which helps to manage your storage on the Mac: Set up and use iCloud Photos Under section, 'If you need more device storage'.

You can create other folders outside of Desktop & Documents to store files locally.

When you download documents from iCloud, they should be stored on the device indefinitely. We couldn't locate a resource that states otherwise.

Hoping this helps out, cheers!

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Answer 2

Pduncanj Author

Level 1

12 points

Feb 18, 2022 9:18 AM in response to destiny241

Thank you for the further reply. My takeaway from this is that iCloud is really only useful for syncing, and if I want a practical, reliable, robust, straightforward backup system I will need to go elsewhere. Seems like a missed opportunity. Thanks again.

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Answer 3

destiny241

Community Specialist

Feb 16, 2022 8:02 AM in response to Pduncanj

Hello Pduncanj,

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities. Based on your post, you have some questions about syncing and backing things up to iCloud on your Macs. We'll certainly do our best to assist with this.

At the beginning you asked specifically if you enable iCloud Photos on both Macs, if these libraries would merge together. Yes, that's how it works. When you have the iCloud account signed in and iCloud Photos enabled, it will sync content across your devices. This would also include Desktop and Documents in iCloud Drive. Learn more about how iCloud works, here: Introduction to iCloud

You could add a folder into Desktop or Documents for photos and videos, but keep in mind the iCloud storage. If you add a large number of data, it may exceed your iCloud+ subscription: Add your Desktop and Documents files to iCloud Drive

Keeping the Desktop & Documents syncing with iCloud, keeps them in the cloud, not on the Mac itself. As you mentioned, you can right click and download them again to keep on the Mac, but this may be time consuming for you to do. Plus, you will need to be consistent on remembering to do this, so it's available offline.

Hoping this answers your questions. If we missing something, please reply back and let us know. We'll do our best to address them.

Wishing you well, take care.

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Answer 4

destiny241

Community Specialist

Feb 18, 2022 9:45 AM in response to Pduncanj

You're welcome, Pduncanj.

If you were looking to back things up on the Mac, it might be worth mentioning Time Machine. Using an external drive, you can set up Time Machine to back up the contents automatically. This is helpful if you need to restore files or the entire Mac from a backup.

Learn more about Time Machine here: Back up your Mac with Time Machine

The one thing to point out is that, Time Machine is specific to the Mac itself. Which means, that you wouldn't be able to sync anything between Macs using the feature, like iCloud does.

We're glad this has been helpful in your journey. If you run into any other questions like this in the future, feel free to create a new post.

Have a lovely weekend, ciao.

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Answer 5

Pduncanj Author

Level 1

12 points

Feb 17, 2022 5:02 AM in response to destiny241

Thanks for the reply Destiny241. It's a shame that Apple chooses to deny users the discretion to select what they want to backup, and what they want to sync. That seems like a very obvious need.

Anyway, a few simple follow up questions:

you said "Keeping the Desktop & Documents syncing with iCloud, keeps them in the cloud, not on the Mac itself". My understanding was that the default would be that Desktop & Documents would be stored locally on the Mac (as well as in the cloud) if it had sufficient storage space. Is this not the case?
if the Mac doesn't have sufficient storage space, is there any way to know or influence what is stored locally and what is only available in the cloud?
if I right click and download files/folders to keep on the Mac, roughly how long will they remain there before iCloud decides to delete them?

Thanks again

Peter

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Answer 6

Pduncanj Author

Level 1

12 points

Feb 18, 2022 9:59 AM in response to destiny241

Thank you, yes I have used Time Machine for many years. But I don't consider it adequate as a stand-alone backup solution, offsite backup is necessary to complement TM.

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Managing iCloud Drive with multiple macs

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