Q: iCloud drive icons: What do they mean?
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by Kappy,HelpfulFeb 27, 2015 1:12 PM
Kappy
Feb 27, 2015 1:12 PM
in response to michaelfromllanfairpwll
Level 10
(271,323 points)
DesktopsIt means that the file is stored only in the cloud and not on your computer. Same as it means in iTunes if all your music files have been transferred to iTunes Match.
The progress bar means that files are being transferred.
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Feb 28, 2015 3:21 AMby michaelfromllanfairpwll,Thanks a lot, and sorry, I guess that is rather obvious, now that you point out the same symbol occurs in iTunes and I did know what it means there.
What's confusing me is the very fact that there is a "in the iCloud only" icon at all. I don't want my files only in the cloud in the way that I want my music and videos only in the cloud. The latter are massive. But my docs are tiny.
When I make a change to a local file in the iCloud drive folder on one computer, I expect not only the file in the cloud to reflect the changers but I also expect those changes to occur in the local file in the iCloud drive folder on my other computer (and the original one that the changes were made on). I.e., I'm wondering why the file isn't just automatically downloaded (synced?) locally on my iCloud drive folders on my two computers, or automatically synced across all devices. This is the way google drive and dropbox work. They keep all my local files on all my computers in sync perfectly and very quickly. This does not seem to occur necessarily with iCloud drive. In fact, I'm having problems getting files to sync (if that's the right word) at all across all my devices. I never have this problem with google drive or dropbox. So I find the whole iCloud business mysterious and rather sub-standard. So far, it's no great improvement on the old Mobile Me. Apple just seems incapable of handling online storage.
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Feb 28, 2015 1:00 PMby Richard Herbst,I am having this same problem and am mystified. I access iCloud drive in Finder on both my Macbook and iMac. On my Macbook, my files seem to sync seamlessly and quickly with iCloud drive (checking with what's showing on iCloud via my web browser). However, on my iMac... most of the files have not synced and I get the "available for download" cloud symbol next to about 75% of my documents. I've been searching for some way to sync these on my iMac, but cant' find any info on this. Help!
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May 9, 2015 12:13 AMby boarddude,Well thats not an answer really as there are a number of icons and I can not get any info on what they mean. I have no idea when my files are in sync across two computers. One min they have a dotted cloud then maybe a complete line cloud then a progress bar. There is no way of telling me what is going on with any consistency. The very worst thing and the thing that will be making me ask for my money back I have been spending on this is that i can't force sync in any way. They say it does it automatically but it just does not. Sometimes it does ....sometimes it does not.... I keep getting a warning that there are two versions that are not synced when there should not be. WHAT !? Its madness. The only reason I went with them was because dropbox, the best service out there, is much more expensive. Any ideas? cheers
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Mar 12, 2016 7:35 AMby kljsdkfjkejr33,I'm also wondering about this. I'm using El Cap 10.11.3 and if I put a local file on my Mac into my iCloud Drive folder it has the little cloud icon next to it (outline of a cloud).
Some people in this thread had said that icon means it is in the cloud and not downloaded, but that's not the case, the file started local to my Mac and it is definitely there I can open it instantly, even if I turn off my internet connection.
So, I thought maybe the cloud icon means it is not uploaded to iCloud. Also not true, if I logon to iCloud.com I can see the file and download it from the web browser and it is complete.
If I look at other files in the same folder they don't have the cloud icon, they are also local and in the cloud.
All of my files started on my Mac, none ever started anywhere else or are ever edited anywhere else.
To me it just seems that iCloud is buggy? Does anyone have any other suggestions?
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Aug 1, 2016 4:35 PMby ricandterri,I just spent an entire afternoon looking desperately for an image I had made for me back in January.
It's for a business I own and the file, image, cost a lot of money to create.
Long story short, I put it in iCloud Drive, it failed to sync. BUT IT WAS GONE FROM MY COMPUTER. EL CRA$#^&tain.
Thank God after spend all day I found the file under another user I had, which I didn't need anymore and was going to delete. thank goodness i didn't.
Anybody who has used DropBox and then starts using iCloud Drive will see that they don't behave the same way. DROPBOX is more intuitive!!! easier to learn and use.
think about it
iCloud Drive has a lot to be desired.
and now let the rebuttals begin, for all those who think everything Apple creates and does is headache Free!, and deserves to be defended with there own take on how it's still ok.
what Oh what ever happened to the days of Steve Job?????
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Aug 1, 2016 8:35 PMby gail from maine,This is a user to user technical support forum, so since you have no questions, there is nothing we can do to help you hear. Invoking Steve Jobs is not going to help you either. The TOU of this forum specifically forbid ranting for ranting sake, so it appears as though your post serves no real purpose at this point.
Would you like to try again, and ask some coherent questions, with the object being to find actual solutions? If not, Bye, bye. Gripe elsewhere.
GB
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by teresafromthere,Sep 21, 2016 7:55 AM
teresafromthere
Sep 21, 2016 7:55 AM
in response to michaelfromllanfairpwll
Level 1
(4 points)
iCloud"Does anyone know what it means when a file in the icloud drive folder in the finder has a cloud next to it?" - "It means that the file is stored only in the cloud and not on your computer".
But does anyone know what we should do to get the files uploaded? In the chain of icons of uploading files from iCloud to a new mac, where does this small cloud stands? does it mean that sync is still in progress? how long could it take many thanks.
