How to move Documents folder to where it belongs - my home folder

I have a new MacBook Pro. For some reason, my Documents folder ended up only in iCloud and not on my new Mac - unlike every other folder of mine that is backed up in iCloud and which also resides on my Mac. So, I downloaded the folder to my Mac. However, it was copied to a folder called "Backup" and not the location where it needs to be - my home folder with all of my other folders and files. When I try to move it to where it should be, I get a message that iOS won't allow it to be moved. If I try to create a new folder called Documents in my home folder, I get a message that the folder already exists. However, it doesn't exist in my home folder but is a subfolder in Backups. The files in the Documents folder on my Mac are NOT backups. They are the primary files/folders so Internet is not needed to have full access to everything - iCloud is the backup. This apparent restriction is incredibly annoying and entirely unacceptable. How can I move the Documents folder back to my home folder where it has resided on all my Macs since 2003? I really want to love this new machine but we are off to a very rocky start.

MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 14.2

Posted on Jan 28, 2024 8:38 AM

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Jan 28, 2024 9:14 AM in response to Syl K

Syl K wrote:

I have a new MacBook Pro. For some reason, my Documents folder ended up only in iCloud and not on my new Mac - unlike every other folder of mine that is backed up in iCloud and which also resides on my Mac. So, I downloaded the folder to my Mac. However, it was copied to a folder called "Backup" and not the location where it needs to be - my home folder with all of my other folders and files. When I try to move it to where it should be, I get a message that iOS won't allow it to be moved. If I try to create a new folder called Documents in my home folder, I get a message that the folder already exists. However, it doesn't exist in my home folder but is a subfolder in Backups. The files in the Documents folder on my Mac are NOT backups. They are the primary files/folders so Internet is not needed to have full access to everything - iCloud is the backup. This apparent restriction is incredibly annoying and entirely unacceptable. How can I move the Documents folder back to my home folder where it has resided on all my Macs since 2003? I really want to love this new machine but we are off to a very rocky start.



if by default iCloud Drive got turned on— look for your files there.


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How to find your Documents and Desktop folder contents after disabling ...

https://www.macworld.com/article/3396119/how-to-find-your-documents-and-desktop-folder-contents-after-disabling-icloud-sync.html



Finder>Go>Go to Folder>copy & paste:

~/iCloud Drive (Archive)


iCLoud Drive (Archive) - here you should find all your files




Jan 28, 2024 9:27 AM in response to leroydouglas

Yes, all of my files and folders are in iCloud and are also downloaded onto my MacBook. However, the Documents folder was downloaded to the Backups folder on my MacBook and I cannot move it to my home folder where it belongs - just like every other file and folder. I shouldn't have to go to a Backups folder to work with any of the very many subfolders and files that reside in the Documents folder. It makes working on this new machine cumbersome and different than working on any other machine (Apple or otherwise) that I've used over the past 30 years. Everything is on both my MacBook and on iCloud, but only the Document folder insists it must remain in the Downloads folder - that's what I need to know how to fix.

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How to move Documents folder to where it belongs - my home folder

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