I have a late-2012 Mac mini with OS 10.14.6 (Mojave).
My Desktop items and my Documents are backed up in iCloud Drive. For no reason that I can identify, all these have suddenly disappeared from my Mac, though to my great relief they are still in iCloud Drive. Can some guardian angel amongst the readers of these Discussions please tell me how I can get them back onto my Mac as well as leaving them backed up in iCloud Drive? Many thanks in anticipation.
The (Documents & Desktop contents) have all re-appeared on my computer a couple of days after they disappeared! By themselves! Without any further action(s) on my part! A mystery — but a very welcome one!
Somehow hit/clicked whatever - all desktop folders/items disappeared -noted in Finder as being in iCloud, located and got them back on the desktop. However, the folders are empty in many cases and the Finder even has my Macintosh HD. I don’t want them in iCloud - want them all back on my desktop. How do I get them out of the iCloud archive where I appeared to locate. Do not know how to remove from the iCloud and return to my desktop. too much tech stuff for this senior citizen who has always used Apple and Mac computers.
Have you looked in the iCloud section of the Finder sidebar (also in the Finder "Go" menu > iCloud)? When the Desktop & Documents option of iCloud Drive is on, that is where Desktop and Documents files are accessed.
If you do not have Apple menu > System Preferences > Apple ID > Optimize Mac Storage turned on, there is a local copy of the files accessed by Finder in that location; if the Optimize option is turned on, some of the files may not have a local copy but they are still accessed in the same way by using Finder at the same location.
Docs & Desktop items gone from Mac
