Why iCloud Drive (Archiv) folders remain after signing out

Hi Alexome,

Welcome to Apple Support Communities. I understand you're seeing an archive of iCloud documents and data on your Mac, even when you're selecting not to keep a copy of that data. I'll be happy to help and shed some light.

When you have Desktop & Documents folder turned on within System Preferences of iCloud, it's expected behavior for the archive of iCloud documents and data to appear on your Mac. You can turn that feature off as an option, so that the archive of data for iCloud does not appear. Here's a helpful article with regard to Desktop and Documents in iCloud: Add your Desktop and Documents files to iCloud Drive In addition, you can review additional details here: If you sign out of iCloud on Mac

Cheers!

Alexome,

Thanks for the additional details.

Upon further review, when you turn off iCloud Drive or sign out of iCloud, you have the option to keep a local copy of your files that are in iCloud Drive. Whether you decide to keep a local copy or not, a new Desktop and Documents folder is created in your home folder such as the archive data for iCloud. That information is outlined here: Add your Desktop and Documents files to iCloud Drive

Best regards.

 Open system preferences > click on iCloud and click on sign out , you can see a window stating do you want to keep a copy of your iCloud data on this Mac before signing out ? The boxes iCloud Drive , contacts , calendars , reminders are checked by default - so click on keep a copy .Immediately click on stop updating and continue , a pop up window will appear are you sure you want to stop updating and continue with sign out ( any documents not updated to iCloud Drive , will be moved to a folder named “ iCloud Drive archive in your home folder on this Mac ) so don’t click on “ cancel “ but " click on continue with sign out ."

These archive folders can be viewed by clicking on finder > Go > Home > your user name > under documents if you sign out for the first time , once again if you sign in with same Apple ID and password see the steps in the link https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-13681

Every thing will be set up , but the documents are archived , now again at the end of the day you again follow the same sign out procedure , the icloud drive ( archive 1 ) will be again created and so on ...

Its not a bug , you are giving commands and Mac is following it , for the question if you want to remove files to some other place see the article last paragraph https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/mac-help/mchl1a02d711/10.14/mac/10.14

In system preferences > iCloud if you uncheck the box of iCloud Drive a pop up appears .

And you click on remove from the Mac , the second screen shot appears and you don't click on cancel or stop updating and turning off , it disappears after a short while and all the files are removed from iCloud Drive and you will not see in www.icloud.com as well in desktops and documents , the box of iCloud Drive will once again get unchecked .