Local copy vs iCloud Drive

SSL-ADT wrote:

I have since come to the conclusion that it is normal for the Desktop and Documents folders not to allow for downloading its content onto the Mac. Why? Because those folders are no longer present on the Mac once you set Desktop & Documents Folders ON in iCloud Drive.

It is not normal.

Normal is:

1) There should be Desktop and Documents folders in the iCloud section of the sidebar of Finder on your Mac. Those folders are on your Mac even though they are shown in the iCloud section of Finder.

2) Those folders should have a local copy of all of their contents on the Mac if you don't have Optimize Mac Storage turned in in Apple menu Settings (or Apple menu Preferences, depending on your macOS version). And if you do have Optimize Mac Storage turned on only some of the contents may have a local copy depending on space available on the Mac.

If you have turned on the "Desktop & Documents" option of iCloud Drive, you access the local copy of your files in the iCloud section of the Finder sidebar. If you have some files that have been optimized and don't have a local copy, you still access them in the same place, the iCloud section of the Finder sidebar. See: Add your Desktop and Documents files to iCloud Drive - Apple Support

and Access and manage your files in iCloud Drive - Apple Support

You can tell which have been optimized by looking at the icon in Finder as described in the "View iCloud status" section of Get file, folder, and disk information on Mac - Apple Support

Also, you may want to talk to Apple Support -- so you can have a quicker question/answer session where they can maybe get to the bottom of the issue much more quickly. Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support

If you don't have Optimize Mac Storage turned, go to the Finder sidebar and in the iCloud section of that sidebar, click on the Documents folder. Review all of the files inside that folder (and the files in any subfolders). All of the files should display a cloud icon

in the iCloud Status column. The column header is also a cloud.The cloud icon indicates the there is a local copy on your Mac. This is also described in Get file, folder, and disk information on Mac - Apple Support

If that is not what your are seeing, the only thing I know to suggest is to contact Apple Support. Contact - Official Apple Support

Are you seeing any of the icons described in the "View iCloud status" section of Get file, folder, and disk information on Mac - Apple Support ?

Can you go to the Finder sidebar and in the iCloud section of that sidebar, click on the Documents folder? Are you even seeing that column header in Finder that has those icons? Every file should have some icon in that column.

Can you go to the Finder sidebar and in the iCloud section of that sidebar, click on the Documents folder?

Try opening the Desktop (and also the Documents folder) and click the icon posted to by the red arrow below and select "as List" and see what the iCloud Status column in the list view shows for the individual files (i.e., are any of them downloaded (showing a cloud icon)?

SSL-ADT wrote:

...

"why do I only see iCloud Documents and Desktop in the Finder?"

...

What else are you expecting to see exactly?

Any files in iCloud would be accessible in the iCloud Drive location. Documents & Desktop is just a short cut to those locations. You could access the same files from the relevant folders in Favorites if you have them turned on, or in "Your Name's Mac" or "Macintosh HD" in Locations.

If you turn on iCloud Drive, you cannot access the files in Finder Favorites -- you access the local copy in the iCloud section of the Finder sidebar.

If you don't have Optimize turned on, then all files have a local copy. If you do have it turned on, there may or may not be a local copy. You can tell whether there is a local copy by looking at the icon as described in my previous post above.

Yes, I am running Ventura. But none of this has changed in any recent release.

In your last screenshot where it is in list mode, you aren't seeing the full width of the screen in the Finder window. I suspect that the iCloud status column is off the right side of the screen. Either use the scroll bar at the bottom of the screen to see to the right of the "Kind" column or make the name column or some other column narrower or make the finder window wider.

First go to that same Desktop folder (the following option is only available when you are in an iCloud folder) and then in the Finder View menu, click "Show view options" and then put a check mark in front of "iCloud Status."

The iCloud Status column should then be visible.