"iCloud with exclamation mark" file symbol

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Level 1

11 points

"iCloud with exclamation mark" file symbol

When moving a file to one of my Document Folders, I sometimes get a cloud symbol with an exclamation mark in it.

This does not happen all the time, and in the past I have been able to rectify the problem by creating a new folder, and moving all the files into it. Lately, that fix is not working. I can sometimes download a file directly into a newly created folder in Documents and a normal cloud will appear while the file is uploaded to iCloud, at which time the normal cloud goes away. The next time I download into the folder, I will get the cloud symbol with the exclamation mark in it, which then stays. I can then move the folder onto the Desktop, and the symbol goes away. Move it back to Documents and the "exclamation mark cloud" comes back. There doesn't seem to be any consistency in when it happens, and all the "fixes" that I have gathered from the Community Board have not helped.

I have a 2018 MacBook Air, Retina 13-inch, 1.6 GHz Dual-Core Intel i5, running Sonoma 14.1.2 (did the same thing prior to Sonoma). MacBook memory used: 315GB of 500GB. iCloud storage used: only 378GB of 2TB available. Any ideas besides "buy a new MacBook", or is this in fact a problem unique to old Intel machines?

MacBook Air 13″

Posted on Dec 2, 2023 10:54 AM

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Answer 1

KBTraveler Author

Level 1

11 points

Dec 5, 2023 5:42 AM in response to KBTraveler

Follow up: I might have solved the problem temporarily, but my solution just raises more questions.

In the past when I have had problems with files in a folder not backing up automatically to iCloud, I would just create a new folder with macOS, and transfer all the old files to it. This solution has not helped with my current problem, which made me wonder if the problem might be unique to files built with the macOS.

So I created a new folder using the Files App on my iPhone (iCloud Drive/Documents). Then using my MacBook Air, I downloaded the same bank files that I was having problems with from Safari to the new folder now on my MacBook Air thanks to iCloud Drive. The new files were fine, no "cloud symbol with an exclamation mark". I then transferred all the old normal files to the new folder without problems, and then deleted the old folder. I was able to replicate these results, so I am sure that this was not just a one-time phenomenon,

Which raises the question: why would a a new folder built with iOS on my phone work seem to work normally with iCloud, when a new folder built with macOS always have the same problem (cloud with exclamation mark)? Any suggestions? Unique to my older Intel powered MacBook Air? Or is there a flaw in how macOS works with iCloud?

Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

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Answer 2

Dec 15, 2023 1:33 PM in response to KBTraveler

I'm running into the same issue.

Per @KBTraveler I can create a new folder, move the existing iCloud files with the cloud/exclamation point to a new folder and they appear to upload normally and no longer display the cloud/exclamation point icon. I can delete the old folders and files and everything seems to be normal again.

There doesn't seem to be any correlation with the "problem" files and folders such as how recently they were created, type, etc. It just seems random.

This is happening on my Mac mini M1, macOS Sanoma v14.1.2

I have a 2 TB iCloud+ family account with 1.64TB free space.

The issue is fairly recent, but I cannot be sure if it's tied to the latest macOS update.

Any solutions would be welcome.

TIA!

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"iCloud with exclamation mark" file symbol

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