Exclude some folders/files from iCloud Backup

iCloud is not a "backup." Don't even imagine that it is.

You can turn off Desktop & Documents in iCloud Drive if you don't want all of your files stored there.

Then, you can save what you want to iCloud Drive. You could sort of exclude folders by moving them from iCloud Drive into new folders in your home folder separate from Desktop & Documents. Which direction you choose would probably be guided by if you wan't most in iCloud Drive or most in your local storage.

When you turn it off, it will warn you that all your files will be moved to iCloud and you should then move them back to your Desktop and Documents folders. Then, when you move them back, it will warn you that you are removing them from iCloud Drive.

While it says they will be moved, and it looks a lot like they have been moved, they are not moved at all.

There is a bit of File System magic going on using hard links to make it look like they have moved around. Nothing really gets moved. But, it does seem a bit scary with all the warnings.

Well, again, nothing actually moves, but it looks like it does. Right now, your Desktop and Documents folders are in iCloud Drive, not in your Home (they actually are, but it doesn't show you that). When you uncheck the box, empty Desktop and Documents folders will appear in your Home folder and not under iCloud Drive. The files will remain in the iCloud Drive in the Desktop and Documents folders that exist there.

What you will see during this process:

1) A warning that your files will only be on iCloud Drive.

2) Empty Desktop and Documents folders will reappear in your Home folder.

3) A warning when you move the files from the iCloud Drive Desktop and Documents folders to your home folder Desktop and Documents.

4) You may see the iCloud Sync pie next to those folders in the SideBar as it "moves" the files from iCloud Drive back into your Desktop and Documents folders.

Again, all of this happens by creating hard links in the new locations and removing the links in the old location. It does take some time to create and remove the hard links, but it won't be downloading the files from the cloud unless those files only existed on the cloud. That could happen if you had Optimize Storage selected and it moved large, unused files to iCloud Drive.

Those may take a while to actually download from iCloud Drive.

While it looks like your files are deleted from your Mac, then must be downloaded from the cloud, that is not actually happening except in a few cases if you have Optimize Storage selected and you are low on disk space.

I have the question too - there is a file that I NEED to have ONLY on my actual machine it CANNOT be in the icloud, for privac reasons.

How can I achieve this?

Turn off Desktop & Documents in iCloud Drive. Then, move them all from iCloud to your Mac.

In Apple ID System Preferences, uncheck iCloud Drive altogether.

I have the question too - there is a file that I NEED to have ONLY on my actual machine it CANNOT be in the icloud, for privac reasons.

How can I achieve this?