Bulk remove local iCloud Drive files on Mac?

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Bulk remove local iCloud Drive files on Mac?

Hello,

I am attempting to remove local copies of files marked as “Downloads in Cloud” in order to free up disk space on my Mac. Currently, it does not appear possible to select a parent folder and use “Remove Download”; instead, files must be selected individually, which is very time-consuming.

Additionally, only certain folders within iCloud Drive provide the “Remove Download” option, while others do not. This behaviour seems counter-intuitive, as it requires manually selecting and removing downloads file by file.

Is there an approved or recommended way to remove downloaded local copies in bulk while keeping the files stored in iCloud?

Thank you for any guidance.

Posted on Jan 14, 2026 2:47 PM

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Answer 1

Jan 14, 2026 11:44 PM in response to timchurchman

In iCloud Drive it is possible to do "Remove Download" only to max 10 items (files and folders) at a time. And all selected items must be downloaded for "Remove Download" option to be available. Yes, this is sometimes clumsy.

"Optimize Mac Storage" should do the same but I haven't tested when and how fast it reacts.

I don't know why there is that 10 item limit and the requirement to have all items downloaded -- maybe it is a feature so that iCloud Drive is not flooded with tasks it can't execute. Or maybe a safety feature. Or just an oversight. Send feedback to Apple so maybe they will reconsider this:

Product Feedback - Apple

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Answer 2

Jan 15, 2026 12:49 AM in response to timchurchman

To bulk remove local iCloud Drive files on Mac while keeping them stored in iCloud, it's a bit tricky. As of now, iCloud Drive only allows you to "Remove Download" for up to 10 items at a time, and all selected items must already be downloaded. This can be slow and cumbersome if you have many files.

One workaround is to enable "Optimize Mac Storage" in your iCloud settings, which will automatically offload files from your Mac to iCloud when storage space is needed. However, it’s unclear how quickly this reacts or if it covers all scenarios.

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