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I need to remove my files that are stored on iCloud storage and then turn off that feature on my M1 Mac mini. How do I do that? I just prefer my work staying safely on my computer and not constantly getting a message about "iCloud storage is almost full". I bought this computer and my external hard drives for a reason... good storage capacity.
Mac mini, macOS 13.2
For information about turning off iCloud Drive, see the following from: Add your Desktop and Documents files to iCloud Drive - Apple Support . Note that the first 2 paragraphs refer to turning off only the Desktop & Documents option of iCloud Drive while the 3rd paragraph refers to turning off iCloud Drive entirely.
Turn off Desktop and Documents
What happens when you 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.
What happens when you turn off iCloud Drive or sign out of iCloud
If you turn off iCloud Drive or sign out of iCloud, a new Desktop and Documents folder is created in your home folder. You also have the option to keep a local copy of your files that are in iCloud Drive. If you keep a local copy of your files in iCloud Drive, they're copied to a folder called iCloud Drive (Archive) in your home folder. You can move any files that were in your iCloud Desktop and Documents to your new local Desktop and Documents.
For information about turning off iCloud Drive, see the following from: Add your Desktop and Documents files to iCloud Drive - Apple Support . Note that the first 2 paragraphs refer to turning off only the Desktop & Documents option of iCloud Drive while the 3rd paragraph refers to turning off iCloud Drive entirely.
Turn off Desktop and Documents
What happens when you 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.
What happens when you turn off iCloud Drive or sign out of iCloud
If you turn off iCloud Drive or sign out of iCloud, a new Desktop and Documents folder is created in your home folder. You also have the option to keep a local copy of your files that are in iCloud Drive. If you keep a local copy of your files in iCloud Drive, they're copied to a folder called iCloud Drive (Archive) in your home folder. You can move any files that were in your iCloud Desktop and Documents to your new local Desktop and Documents.
If you also have photos in iCloud Photos and want to turn that off as well, see information in Get help with iCloud Photos - Apple Support
Unless you optimize storage, everything in iCloud is already in the iCloud Drive folder on your Mac. Simply move those files to a location that does not sync with iCloud.
Thank you for your assistance.
Thank you for your assistance.
how to get my documents to stay on my computer and not in iCloud storage
