Can files on the MacBook be removed from iCloud Drive with out deleting them from the Mac?

When you set up iCloud Drive on your computer what essentially happens is that your Documents & Desktop folders become the iCloud Drive. What's in your Documents or Desktop is in your iCloud Drive and vice versa. The short answer is no, you cannot delete the file from one place without deleting it from the other. The longer answer is:

1. after some unspecified amount of time passes and you don't access the file on your computer, iCloud drive will automagically remove it from your computer but keep it in the cloud. I don't know how this works because so far it hasn't happened to me. Maybe I have too much free space on my computers
2. if you are willing to put the file in some folder other than Documents you are welcome to create a folder in iCloud and put the file there after which you can delete it from the computer. But it will be your responsibility to remember where you put it in iCloud. Be sure you keep backups of everything if you intend to keep some files in the cloud but not on the computer. This is a recipe for disaster as far as I'm concerned.
3. Any file you want to keep on your computer but not keep in iCloud, just put it in a folder that isn't Documents or Desktops. I've created a folder called Local Documents on each of my computers. That's where I keep files that I don't want synced to the cloud.

If you don’t want to use iCloud just open System Preferences, select the iCloud tab and then click on the the checkmark next to iCloud Drive. Your computer’s hard drive will no longer be connected to iCloud. This will have no affect on other iCloud services, just iCloud Drive.

Do you mean that one cannot get rid of icloud once it has been installed? I would like to quit icloud as I don't need it at all while giving me trouble with downloading (some mad technician did it without explaining it to me!). I have no intention to upgrade it as I don't want it. Can you help? Thank you so much.

Dear dwb,

unfortunately when I clicked on the blue checkmark next to icloud this threatening message came up:

If you turn off iCloud Drive, all documents stored in iCloud will be removed from this Mac. This includes documents on your Desktop and in your Documents folder which will be available on iCloud Drive only.

On the right side there are some options which i don't know what they mean: it is a list of ticked documents which are on Icloud drive. Maybe I can untick them?

What about signing out?

I am lost.

Thank you, I am going to try it straight away. But before I do it can I ask if, once done, my desktop and documents will stay where and the way they are now without any danger to delete any?

As long as all you do is turn off iCloud Drive you will lose nothing.

Great. Hope you won't mind if I get back to you in case I have problems. Thank again.

see this article. http://osxdaily.com/2017/07/06/disable-icloud-desktop-documents-mac/

I will do my homework! Thanks again. bbe224