Can my entire Photos folder or Library be stored in iCloud separately than in Photos ie. an unsynced file

From the solutions above:

"You have to back up photo library to an external hard drive .

Photos can’t be transferred directly from iCloud to an external hard drive for that you need to set up iCloud photo library see the article".

Apple really should reconsider their marketing materials for iCloud+. You describe the 2TB option as "plenty of space for all the family"s photos, video, and files".

But if my photo library exceeds the storage limits of my local hard drive, or I have multiple photo libraries I want to archive off of my local drive, iCloud+ will not do this. The answer in every discussion thread i have seen is iCloud is "for syncing" photos with the library on the local drive. It is not a storage option for photo libraries exceeding the size of the local hard drive. Yet most of your marketing implies it is a great backup device.

The main reason I upgraded to iCloud+ with 2TB was to give me the space to finally sort through and consolidate multiple photo libraries. Having lost a number of external hard drives over the years, I was looking at iCloud+ as an offsite repository, which this discussion threads make clear it is not. Too bad the marketing materials don't also make that clear.

Hi The Dancing Bear,

To store files, folders, and individual photos to iCloud, we recommend that you try the steps here: Work with folders and files in iCloud Drive - Apple Support

To perform the recommended troubleshooting steps via the link above, complete the steps in the section titled "Add files to folders."

When iCloud Desktop & Documents Folders is turned on, your folders and files may appear with status indicators next to the folder or file names in Finder windows. See Get file, folder, and disk information.

Each app folder can contain additional folders, but can only contain files the app can open. For example, the Preview folder can contain PDFs and different kinds of image files but not a movie or a music file.

1. On your Mac, click the Finder icon  in the Dock to open a Finder window.

2. Click iCloud Drive in the sidebar, then drag files into the folders in iCloud Drive.

Tip: You can use iCloud Drive when you save or open a file. Just select iCloud Drive in the Save dialog or Open dialog that appears after you choose File > Save or File > Open.

We recommend the steps above because they will show you how to work with folders and files in your iCloud Drive.

Please let us know the outcome after giving the above steps a try.

Thanks for using the Apple Support Communities.

Cheers!

See the article Create additional photo libraries in Photos on Mac - Apple Support

You can create additional photo libraries to organize your photos, albums, and projects, and then switch between the libraries. For example, you could keep separate libraries for personal photos and work photos.

Important: If you use iCloud Photos, remember that only the photos and video in your System Photo Libraryare uploaded to iCloud. Be sure to back up all of your photo libraries.

Important: If you switch to another library, Photos automatically turns off iCloud Photos and Shared Albums. You can turn them on again in the iCloud pane of Photos preferences. When you turn on iCloud Photos after designating a new System Photo Library, the photos stored in iCloud are merged with those in the new System Photo Library. After the content from the new System Photo Library is uploaded to iCloud, the libraries cannot be unmerged, so consider carefully before changing your System Photo Library.

See Change preferences in Photos on Mac - Apple Support

You have to back up photo library to an external hard drive .

Photos can’t be transferred directly from iCloud to an external hard drive for that you need to set up iCloud photo library see the article Set up and use iCloud Photos - Apple 

And its preferences Change preferences in Photos on Mac - Apple  open finder > Go > home > your user name > pictures either drag and drop Photos Library.photoslibrary to an external hard drive , the second method is right click on Photos Library.photoslibrary and click on show package contents in the upcoming column , you can also drag and drop complete masters folder to an external hard drive that is connected .

Also as per the article Back up the library in Photos on Mac - Apple 

Manually copy your library to an external storage device: Drag the Photos library (by default in the Pictures folder on your Mac) to your storage device to create a copy.See this article also

Photos library - Move your Library to an external storage device

Note : in the last split up photo libraries .