Mac Studio: iCloud Drive "Unable to Remove Download" error

Question

Mac Studio: iCloud Drive "Unable to Remove Download" error

Tahoe 26.5.2 (25F84) Mac Studio M4 Max 64GB Ram 1TB HD

I have an iCloud issue here. "Unable to Remove Download." "Resource Busy." I have added cloud backups of a number of Logic Pro files in a folder with many other Logic Pro files which are easily working as I wish for them to, but for some reason a portion of these files just stay in the local folder. When I try to remove the download by right-clicking and choosing "Remove Download", as I am easily able to do with other Logic Pro files, it gives me the error "Unable to Remove Download" and "resource busy."

I have plenty of space on my local drive, and plenty of space in iCloud Drive. 500GB free on my 1 TB local drive, and Terabytes free in my 6TB iCloud Drive.

Again, with certain files, uploaded in the same action, I can remove the download, but others, seemingly randomly, give me this error which is becoming quite taxing. I've removed the files, re-uploaded in different places, with different names, and I still get these errors. Restarting does no good. Waiting overnight does no good. There is no VPN running. The files are not open elsewhere, or open in anything. Logic Pro is closed. Safe Mode presents the same problem. There is no anti-virus running. It's a clean install of Tahoe. There are no Virtual Machines. There is no CleanMyMac junk. I can open the files in there place in the iCloud Drive folder. They work fine.

It is simply me trying to back up new versions of these files that I have been able to back up before with no issue, and remove the download so that I have space. Only some files give this error, over and over. Others do not.

I can choose "Remove Download" for the folder, but the files within stay on the local drive, and give the error.

Mac Studio (M4 Max, 2025)

Posted on Jul 11, 2026 7:47 AM

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Answer 1

Aug 14, 2026 9:22 AM in response to StellarHefLogic

It sounds like you've tried about all of our tried-and-true troubleshooting tips. The one that I don't see in your list is setting up a new User, and seeing if the same thing happens there. You may want to use Optimize Storage if your iCloud Drive is too large to have an additional copy in this new User.

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Answer 2

WheelieNick

Level 9

52,377 points

Aug 13, 2026 2:10 PM in response to StellarHefLogic

A "resource busy" error means an active app or background process is currently using those Logic Pro files. macOS locks the files and blocks iCloud from removing the local download. To fix this, force quit background audio processes, restart your Mac, or use Terminal to clear the lock.

Fix the Resource Busy Error

Stop Active Processes

Force quit Logic Pro if it is open.
Open Activity Monitor from your Applications folder or via Spotlight.
Search for coreaudiod or Logic in the top right search bar.
Select the process and click the Stop (X) button at the top, then choose Force Quit.

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Answer 3

Aug 14, 2026 11:29 PM in response to StellarHefLogic

So are you trying to delete those files from iCloud Drive? Or via "Remove Download" delete local copies and leave just a zero-byte placeholder, and preserve the whole file in the cloud?

Anyway, try this: Safe boot so no process should have access to those files. Then in the Finder drag those files to some non-iCloud Drive folder such as your home folder (i.e. not Desktop or Documents especially if you have those included in iCloud Drive settings). Are those files then removed from the iCloud Drive? If, yes, you might then try to put them back, and see if "Remove Download" then works if that is what you want.

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Answer 4

Aug 13, 2026 2:34 PM in response to WheelieNick

Thank you so much for responding, but I regret that these solutions were not helpful. I've always had Logic Pro closed during this process, but just in case, I stopped the thumbnail extension and coreaudiod. And I looked for any stubborn case of Logic but there was nothing. I then went to my squatter Logic Pro files, and got the same error as before.

Since I last posted I removed the files altogether and tried numerous ways to upload, including renaming the folder, renaming the files, putting them in a different location, trying the process from different devices, but I guess there is something about these files that iCloud just doesn't appreciate. Perhaps the extra money spent on the 6TB of iCloud are not worth it for this.

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