What does this mean? It's crap like this that make me stop using icloud. Why would you want to erase from my computer rather than just erase the stuff in icloud? Bizarre instructions and program behavior.
iMac 27″, macOS 12.4
It means exactly what it says.
Whatever is currently in iCloud will remain there. Anything currently in the Desktop and Documents folder will be deleted from the iMac, and new files added to those locations will no longer be synced to iCloud.
You are turning iCloud off. Which means anything that came from there will no longer be available, hence deleted from your iMac. There should however be an option to retain the files locally.
Beyond that, turning off iCloud does not delete contents in iCloud, It merely severs the connection between the Mac and iCloud.
It means exactly what it says.
Whatever is currently in iCloud will remain there. Anything currently in the Desktop and Documents folder will be deleted from the iMac, and new files added to those locations will no longer be synced to iCloud.
You are turning iCloud off. Which means anything that came from there will no longer be available, hence deleted from your iMac. There should however be an option to retain the files locally.
Beyond that, turning off iCloud does not delete contents in iCloud, It merely severs the connection between the Mac and iCloud.
Turn off Desktop and Documents
When you turn off Desktop & Documents Folders, your files stay in iCloud Drive and a new Desktop and Documents folder is created on your Mac in the home folder. You can move files from iCloud Drive to your Mac as you need them, or select all of your files and drag them to the place you want to keep them.
If you turn off iCloud Drive or sign out of iCloud, you have the option to keep a local copy of your files that are in iCloud Drive. Whether you decide to keep a local copy or not, a new Desktop and Documents folder is created in your home folder. If you choose to keep a local copy, your files in iCloud Drive are copied to a folder called iCloud Drive (Archive) in your home folder. Then you have the option to move any files that were in your iCloud Desktop and Documents, back to your new local Desktop and Documents.
You should see something like the following when turning off iCloud Drive.
If you are just turn off the Desktop & Documents option iCloud Drive "Options" you don't get the choice, but you ask move all the files in those locations somewhere else, before turning them off.
Thanks for the note. When you stop using a cloud back-up the last thing you want is to lose data. Somehow if I understand their explanation and yours, Apple thinks it’s OK to delete data from a computer that is no longer connected to their “system”. I do not see the option to retain files locally or understand what will happen when I stop..
Thanks everyone. It all worked but in my aged mind I don't understand why Apple would delete from the originating computer and keep it in the cloud, requiring an extra unintuitive step or two to recover the files to their original locale. Whatever.
Want to cancel use of icloud but find it confusing
