The item couldn't be downloaded. Please check your internet connection, then try again.

This works! Thank you.

I figured what was happening after this work-around. I started having the same issue after getting the latest Mac. My documents started showing the cloud with the arrow and the error message as per the OP.

In fact, the error message is misleading, it's nothing to do with the internet, as so many posters here (including me) have found (no problem at all with the internet). All it is is that iCloud is optimising your iCould storage. So if you click into specific documents (the folder will show the cloud with the arrow to say it is not yet downloaded) which are showing the "arrowed cloud", you can actually download them individually. In other words, various documents have been chosen by iCloud NOT to be downloaded to your Mac itself (to optimise storage), but they are all downloaded "on demand" without problems. Whenever a single document has been chosen to be in the "downloadable on demand" category, the whole folder shows the "arrowed cloud".

In summary, it is not a problem to have a folder with the "arrowed cloud". Clicking on that cloud produces the error message as per this post. However, it is possible to access any individual document within that folder, including those that have not been downloaded yet, because they are downloaded "on demand". It is only a little annoying to see an "arrowed cloud" on the side bar against all these folders, but in practice, no documents have been lost or is not downloadable. If you find the "arrowed cloud" icon annoying and would like all your folders to be already downloaded (as opposed to be not yet downloaded, but "on demand"), then as per teomor's post, just uncheck "Optimise Storage" in iCloud settings, and all your documents will be downloaded onto your Mac (and the "arrowed clouds" will become "full clouds"... eventually). But this will obviously make up more available space on the Mac. The idea behind the "Optimise Storage" feature is to leave as much unused space on the Mac, so that only documents on demand are downloaded as and when needed. Hope this makes sense!

2022 09_27 encountered the above referenced message when trying to download iCloud synced files and folders to Mac storage for a clean install (Monterey) on new 4TB SSD (replaced old fusion drive in a 2017 iMac) hard drive.

“The item “archive for file cabinet scans” couldn’t be downloaded.  Please check your internet connection, then try again.”

Tried repetitively to download the remaining folders listed in subfolders of my iCloud Documents folder that still had a cloud outline with an arrow pointing down.  Found that if a single file with the cloud with down arrow image was selected (on the cloud with down arrow), the file would download.

This was very peculiar because I’d just finished downloading all of the rest of the sporadically located folders/files from the iCloud Documents folder in Finder simply by selecting the cloud with down arrow icon/image to the right of the Documents folder name in the iCloud portion of the Finder sidebar.  It successfully completed all the remaining downloads to the hard drive.

Went on line and found  this Apple Community thread with inquiries about this problem from May 2022 (recent, Monterey).  A number of people with the issue, but as usual, no definable solutions.

The item couldn't be downloaded. Please c… - Apple Community

Left the computer for rest of day.

2022 09_28 was going to try several work arounds.  Low and behold, I selected one of the remaining un-downloaded folders and it downloaded.  Went through and progressively increased the span of the folder downloads.  Worked!!  Started on the Photos folder where a number are still only in cloud.  Was working fine and then I clicked on the next cloud with down arrow image for the next folder to download and nothing happened.  I opened the folder and selected the cloud/arrow for an individual file.  Nothing happened.  Right clicked and selected the “Download Now” option - nothing happened.

Totally not working now, but no message showing up like yesterday.  

There are no clock/download progress images showing in the Finder sidebar so I don’t think there are any background transfers going on.  

Does this reflect a Monterey glitch that comes and goes? Will set this aside for awhile and see if it becomes active again after several hours or overnight as just occurred in the last 24 hour period.

2022 09_28 Late Afternoon.  Experimented with a work around.  Copied file from a folder in Finder/documents/photos///…. with cloud/downarrow to Finder/Documents/MyName folder.  As it copied, it downloaded with the progress clock visible.  When done, the cloud disappeared from the pasted file in MyName folder and from the original location in Photos folder.  Tried this with a complete folder also and it worked.  

Interestingly now, in the bottom margin of finder it says it’s downloading the items and then it follows by uploading the items.  Bizarre.  Now all of my files and separate image files (not the ones in photos library), videos, etc are synced in iCloud and my 2 Mac computers.  

I put the larger size SSD in so I could download the full files to my hard drive so it provides one further backup copy (in addition to TM, Carbonite and other external drive backups.

The last bit of work was tedious but it worked. Would be nice if Apple could fix this.

Note: Make sure you have the status bar showing so you can view the download/upload activity (in View menu on Finder).

While iCloud file sync leaves a lot to be desired and is buggy and sometimes freezes, the "This item couldn't be downloaded." issue went away when I uninstalled Google Drive - I think this is possibly one for Google to fix instead!

Had this same issue. Running `killall bird` in the terminal works to get sync unstuck, but folder still isn't showing on other devices.

Try running `killall bird` in Terminal.

Try running `killall bird` in Terminal.

Could be that you're having issues with your internet. Try turning the Wi-Fi off and on. You may also want to try connecting to another Wi-Fi network and attempt to download again

If you VPN or security software installed, it's a good idea to uninstall them first and reinstall them after you finish downloading your stuff.

If this is indeed an Wi-Fi issue, try the ethernet or you can do this

Use network locations on Mac - Apple Support (PH)

Hope that helps!

Was having this issue until now. What worked for me was downloading and removing a random file, which worked. After that downloading and removing folders started working as before. (Also I turned private relay feature off and on, but I don't think that had any effect).

Do you use vpn services , cleaners / anti virus / third party softwares /apps in Mac if so uninstall them .

I just wanted to say that I experience this exact same problem on my Intel MacBook. I could download files, but not folders. When trying to download a folder, the message from the topic appears.

My connection is more than fine, iCloud Drive is the only application experiencing issues. I tried restarting several times to no avail.

After ~30 minutes or so of idling, the problem was gone without actually doing anything. This looks like an internal sync problem with iCloud Drive, but I couldn't tell exactly what. It's not that surprising either since iCloud Drive is quite a nightmare when syncing. This really needs some attention.

Best,

Juanma

I had the same problem when trying to download folders from iCloud Drive, but I tried turning off Bluetooth and it helped. I hope this helps you too.

See the Apple Support article(s) below.

Wi-Fi routers and access points - Recommended settings for.  *

What does Wireless Diagnostics show?

Wireless Diagnostics

Wi-FI connection drops

Wi-Fi Problems in OS X Yosemite

Wi-Fi Problems in OS X Yosemite (3)

WiFi Potential Temporary fix - Yosemite 

Also try turning off Bluetooth.

If your Wi-Fi source is capable of generating a 5 GHz Wi-Fi network, try that to help avoid conflicts with Bluetooth.

Troubleshooting Wi-Fi issues in OS X

 If your Mac doesn't connect to the Internet over Wi-Fi.  *

Wireless Connection Problems - Fix

Wireless Connection Problems - Fix (2)

  Wireless Connection Problems - Fix (3)

Same problem here. Internet connection is fine, no VPN, this is elementary stuff. "Please check your Internet connection, then try again" is not helpful at all. There is nothing wrong. Sync is buggy and it's really annoying. Dropbox worked so much better, thinking about returning to it.

Sometimes "killall bird" in a term window will get stuck syncs going again, but it's ridiculous to have to resort to terminal commands for basic functionality. This is a brand-new mac studio with the current versions of everything. Come on, Apple, fix this.

High network speed is required to sync complete iCloud data check it https://www.speedtest.net , sometimes nothing downloads initially , it can take hours to sync ( make sure you have always checked iCloud drive and desktops and documents box ) Set up iCloud Drive on all your devices - Apple Support

Upload and download files from iCloud Drive on iCloud.com - Apple Support

Use iCloud Drive to store documents on your Mac and iOS devices - Apple Support