Move --not copy-- folders from Mac local storage to iCloud

Hi Léonie

Thanks for your reply. That information is not easily located on Apple's website unfortunately.

So to clarify:

• The only way to have files and folders stored in iCloud, but not on your local device is to go through your iCloud Drive list and click 'remove download' for each folder or file individually - is that right? (I'm aware you can select several items at once ofc).
• I'd have thought there'd be a natty way to move all local items to the Cloud only, then re-download anything I want locally - is this not so?

• When it comes to my massive Pictures folder - which I'm aware is a 'container folder' created by Apple and works slightly differently - 'remove download' is not an available option. Nor on any of the subfolders I created inside 'Pictures'. Do I need to create my own parent folder called Pictures (or similar), put everything in there, and then sort the iCloud 'remove downloads' items again?

• I did however perform 'remove download' on many files and folders last night from my iCloud using the process you described. Before I did so, I had 42GB of 500GB available space on my iCloud Drive. After doing so, my iCloud Drive had only reduced by 10GB. I can't recall the exact figure, but I believe I removed downloads of over 200 GB of files and folders so I'm not sure why it's gone down by only 10GB.

• Also, soon after I did this, I checked my MBA's storage, and the available space had actually gone down to 37GB - I mean, wtf?

Before:

After:

• The available space seems to have gone back up again today, but only to the point it was at yesterday before I removed the metric fktonne of files/folders.

Today:

• Is this because the system takes a long time to rearrange everything then update if you're moving a lot of data about? Is that why the System Data has suddenly shot up to 70GB?

• Looking at all three pics above, the seafoam coloured iCloud Drive strip barely seems to have changed size at all, given I removed about 200GB from local storage. And yes, the files and folders I removed all then had the little cloud symbols with the downward-pointing arrow, so the removal seemed to have worked, but doesn't seem to have registered above for some reason.
• Is there a limit as to how many things you should try to upload to iCloud at any given time before your Mac falls over? I have superfast broadband, so it's not a bandwidth issue...

Sorry for all these additional questions, but big sections of the process remain a mystery to me, I'm afraid!

Thanks again.

Raph