Desktop & Documents folders are deleted with no warning when iCloud syncing is enabled

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Level 1

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Desktop & Documents folders are deleted with no warning when iCloud syncing is enabled

In the settings of iCloud Drive, under Ventura 13.6 (22G120), I accidentally enabled "Desktop & Documents Folders." Immediately and without warning, the system deleted these folders from my computer and began transferring the files to iCloud. Strangely, there is no Cancel button to undo this action. The only way out was to disable this option. Now I'm trying to locate the files and confirm their integrity. They aren't in iCloud since the complete transfer from my computer to iCloud would take days, despite having a fast internet connection (300-600 Mbps). As a devoted Mac user since 1988, I find this to be the worst feature the system has ever introduced.

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 13.6

Posted on Sep 26, 2023 11:47 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

FoxFifth

Level 10

472,659 points

Sep 26, 2023 1:47 PM in response to vdpillar

When you turn on the Desktop & Documents option of iCloud Drive you should be able to access those folders from the Finder "Go" menu and also from the iCloud section of the Finder sidebar (if you have them checked in Finder > Settings > Sidebar).

Also, if you haven't turned on Apple menu > System Settings > [username] > iCloud > Optimize Mac Storage there will always be a local copy of your files at the above location in Finder. If you do have Optimize Mac Storage turned on and your Mac is low on space, some of those files may not have a local copy but can still be accessed via Finder. To see if there is a local copy, see the "View iCloud status" section of Get file, folder, and disk information on Mac - Apple Support

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Answer 2

vdpillar Author

Level 1

18 points

Sep 26, 2023 1:58 PM in response to FoxFifth

Thank you for your reply. I did find the missing folders in a folder named 'iCloud Drive (Archive)' inside my user folder. I then moved them back to the empty 'Documents' and 'Desktop' folders that the system created when I disabled iCloud syncing. I hope all the missing files are there. However, I maintain that this behavior is the worst I've ever encountered in macOS. How is it possible that the system is not capable of offering a Cancel button before actually removing 'Documents' and 'Desktop' from my user folder? It should also provide a warning that the transfer to iCloud may take days considering the size of my 'Documents' folder.

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Answer 3

Cham2000

Level 1

8 points

Jul 13, 2024 9:26 AM in response to vdpillar

I recently got the exact same issue, but I lost all the files in my Desktop and Documents folder. The Ventura Finder was behaving wrongly after the issue, so I was forced to reinstall the whole OS, and upgraded to Sonoma.

[Edited by Moderator]

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Desktop & Documents folders are deleted with no warning when iCloud syncing is enabled

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