iCloud using lots of local storage on Mac. Why?

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zyxwl2015 Author

Level 1

4 points

iCloud using lots of local storage on Mac. Why?

I have turned on sync to iCloud for my files (i.e. "Add your Desktop and Documents files to iCloud Drive" is on). These Desktop and Documents files are locally stored on my Mac still, it's part of the 81.04GB in "Documents". But now on my Mac, there is 75.22GB occupied by "iCloud Drive", which I cannot see what it contains.

My question is, do we know what/why iCloud is using 75.22GB on my local laptop? And how can I shrink this?

Many thanks!

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 11.2

Posted on May 4, 2022 11:30 AM

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Answer 1

Eric Root

Level 10

684,525 points

May 4, 2022 12:43 PM in response to zyxwl2015

iCloud is a syncing system, not an 'external hard drive'. All data synced to iCloud retains a copy of the data on your computer. To remove some data, click Optimize iCloud Drive as shown in the screen shot.

If you don't want the files stored on your computer, use Google Drive, Dropbox or some other program that only stores the files there.

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Answer 2

May 4, 2022 12:58 PM in response to zyxwl2015

The quickest way is to simply turn off the iCloud drive in System Preferences and then manually upload and download your files via icloud.com.

If you know of a large folder that is not frequently accessed, you can open iCloud Drive, right click or Control click that folder, and then choose Remove Download.

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iCloud using lots of local storage on Mac. Why?

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