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User profile for user: Raymond Nelson
Raymond Nelson Author
User level: Level 2
456 points

desktop and icloud

Hi - so if I understand it, the 'desktop' on my MacBook pro, if iCloud enabled, is a hybrid phenominon - all of the 'desktop' exists in iCloud, but only some of it on my actual computer (if I turn wifi off, only some of the files appearing on my 'desktop' are available).

Is this correct?

if I want a file backed up to iCloud, but also available when iCloud is not, I should store a copy of it in my users file on my hard drive.

Is this correct?


Thanks in advance - Ray

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 11.4

Posted on May 29, 2021 12:20 PM

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User profile for user: FoxFifth
FoxFifth
User level: Level 10
472,149 points

Posted on May 29, 2021 1:21 PM

By default, iCloud Drive (and the Desktops and Documents option) keeps a local copy on your Mac.

However, if you go to Apple menu > System Preferences > Apple ID > iCloud (in the left sidebar) and then put a check mark in front of "Optimize Mac Storage" near the bottom of that Preferences window then some files may not have a local copy. If you want all files to always have a local copy, do not put a check mark there. Or if you want to use the Optimize Mac Storage option but have a few files that you want to have on iCloud and also locally, you could do as you suggest and keep a second copy somewhere outside of the iCloud Drive folder.

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User profile for user: FoxFifth
FoxFifth
User level: Level 10
472,149 points

May 29, 2021 1:21 PM in response to Raymond Nelson

By default, iCloud Drive (and the Desktops and Documents option) keeps a local copy on your Mac.

However, if you go to Apple menu > System Preferences > Apple ID > iCloud (in the left sidebar) and then put a check mark in front of "Optimize Mac Storage" near the bottom of that Preferences window then some files may not have a local copy. If you want all files to always have a local copy, do not put a check mark there. Or if you want to use the Optimize Mac Storage option but have a few files that you want to have on iCloud and also locally, you could do as you suggest and keep a second copy somewhere outside of the iCloud Drive folder.

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desktop and icloud

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