Icloud transferred unwanted files to Mac Mini 2018 128GB SSD
I have a 2018 MacMini with the smaller 128GB SSD, plus an attached 3TB drive. I'm trying to manage the SSD by limiting apps and files. As I was looking at the iCloud settings I must have changed a setting and over 100GB of files began to download to my low-capacity drive. The transfer info window would not close and I did a forced shut down. There were still many gigs of files that downloaded and now there is little storage space remaining on the SSD. I don't want to share all my files on the iCloud, only selected ones. (I've never quite understood the iCloud settings!)
Here are my questions:
1 Is there a setting that prevents the iCloud from consuming space on my MacMini SSD? Of the "Other 53.98GB" used on my drive, 36GB is listed as iCloud.
2 If the mystery ""Other" files are, in fact, iCloud files that inadvertently downloaded, what is a safe way to get them off this drive without eliminating them off the iCloud? Below is a "manage storage" screenshot.
Thank You!!!
Mac mini, macOS 10.15