You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

💡 Did you know?

⏺ If you can't accept iCloud Terms and Conditions... Learn more >

⏺ If you don't see your iCloud notes in the Notes app... Learn more >

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

How do I download all iCloud Drive files to external hard drive?

Hello. I am trying to download or copy + paste all of my files to an external hard drive so I can delete them afterwards and downgrade my iCloud drive subscription to something cheaper. I have tried to find a way but I can't seem to find a way to grab them all at once. It also wont let me download the file folders individually either. I also tried opening the iCloud folder on my computer and clicking the little cloud with the down arrow but it takes super long and hangs up my internet so I can't do anything else with it for hours.


The only way I could find to do this is to download the document files without the folders meaning I would essentially need to re-create the folder layout on my external, download the document files and then move them to the external drive which would be a pain and really slow.


Does anyone know of a way to do this a faster way? Or a way to back up iCloud so I can get to the files that way?

Posted on Aug 3, 2019 1:49 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 3, 2019 5:01 PM

Switchblade3 Said:

Does anyone know of a way to do this a faster way? ... I have tried to find a way but I can't seem to find a way to grab them all at once

———-


Compress these into One Folder for a Faster Data Transfer Rate (DTR):


As a result, this creates a ZIP file. Such files have a minimized storage-size, and therefore have a faster DTR when being uploaded or downloaded

Go Here for More: Compress or Uncompress files and folders on Mac - Apple Support





[Edited by Moderator]

2 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 3, 2019 5:01 PM in response to Switchblade3

Switchblade3 Said:

Does anyone know of a way to do this a faster way? ... I have tried to find a way but I can't seem to find a way to grab them all at once

———-


Compress these into One Folder for a Faster Data Transfer Rate (DTR):


As a result, this creates a ZIP file. Such files have a minimized storage-size, and therefore have a faster DTR when being uploaded or downloaded

Go Here for More: Compress or Uncompress files and folders on Mac - Apple Support





[Edited by Moderator]

Aug 6, 2019 6:46 AM in response to Switchblade3

Switchblade3 Said:

"I would essentially need to re-create the folder layout on my external, download the document files and then move them to the external drive which would be a pain and really slow. "


As for crating a ZIP file, which I mentioned above:


Essentially, all files will hold the same layout (folder-by-folder, file-by-file) once decompressed. Basically, the layout will stay the same. In theory, aside from using compression to save storage space, keeping the same layout is definitely the top-end benefit of ZIP file usage!. So, usig a ZIP file, is they way to go about this.

How do I download all iCloud Drive files to external hard drive?

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.