Unable to create an alias for iCloud Drive on the desktop

Make an alias for iCloud drive on the desktop? How?

I would like to place an alias of the iCloud Drive on my desktop but can't seem to do it.

Google says to drag it to the desktop from the Finder window sidebar while holding the Option + Command Keys, but this does nothing on my system.

Any advice? Thanks in advance.

MtD

Posted on Feb 9, 2026 10:08 AM

Similar questions

can i move the USER folder to another drive can i move the USER folder to another drive? Home drive is nearly full wondering if it's possible to move my user folder to a empty drive maybe using an Alias link?
341 2
iCloud synced Document folder does not show correct folder path First of all, I am on a 14 inches Macbook Pro (2021, bought 2022), 16GB ram, M1 Pro, running Sequoia 15.5. I noticed the following strange behaviour. First, iCloud sync with Desktop and Document folder is turned on. And I have the Finder option to show the bottom path bar turned on (Command Option P). When I click on the Desktop folder from the left column on Finder, it shows the iCloud file path on the bottom, as you can see (Mesa means Desktop). Also if I select a file, it shows the iCloud path: Notice the left bar is still within iCloud too. Now, if I click on Documents instead of Desktop, the bottom folder shows this: Notice the left column is within the iCloud section, but the bottom bar shows a local HD path. However!, when I select one of the files in that same folder, it shows an iCloud path: I suppose this is not expected behaviour. When I go on my Files iPhone app, the Document folder expectedly shows an iCloud path — it couldn't possibly show a MacBook path anyway. Can someone reproduce this same discrepancy? I have talked to common and senior technicians over the phone and chat and they agree the paths should not be inconsistent like that.
1084 8
Move iCloud Drive to external drive? I am running short of storage space on the internal Mac mini ssd. However, I would like my iCloud Drive to sync fully (not partially) to that Mac. Is it possible to change the storage location so the iCloud Drive is actually pointing to an external ssd (eg., `/Volume/blah/Mobile Documents/iCloud Drive`) and uses that as its storage?
2910 2

2 replies

Niel

Community+ 2026

Level 10

750,195 points

Feb 9, 2026 10:13 AM in response to Meg The Dog

Choose Go to Folder from the Finder's Go menu, provide ~/Library/ as the path, and create the alias from there.

(262710)

Meg The Dog Author

Level 6

14,008 points

Feb 9, 2026 10:17 AM in response to Niel

That worked, thank you very much

MtD

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

Unable to create an alias for iCloud Drive on the desktop

Welcome to Apple Support Community

A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.

Learn more Sign up