Does iCloud drive use up hard drive storage space?

I am struggling to understand you.

I have described in both comments I posted where the Photos Library with this large storage I refer to is located.

It is not an iCloud Drive Library - it is accessed on my MBP in Finder via Pictures and it is Photos Library - where it holds a Masters folder as described.

I was continually directed to OmniDisk Sweeper on these forums and I don't appreciate your comment if you weren't in the conversation. We come here for help and follow advice and now are doubted that we were given that advice?

You may not have been in the forum posts but more than a couple here gave me that direction along with getting a Transcend card for additional storage. I do value the advice given here as I am keen to have my laptop be useful for my purposes.

I simply would like to know if I delete iCloud off my laptop can I then delete the Masters folder as it holds photos related to iCloud sync, which if I delete, are no longer relevant.

Otherwise it sits on my laptop consuming a lot of space badly needed.

Maybe somebody else who understands what I am saying can advise.

So true. Although I think it's more that Apple employees aren't very good at giving all those finer points of information to customers and they aren't all overly knowledgeable about every product and service. I just purchase 2TB of iCloud storage after one of my external drives became corrupted and I lost 125GB of photos (that thankfully 95% were already backed up elsewhere), so the Apple support folks recommend iCloud and failed to mention that little tidbit about it also using up Mac hard drive space, even though I had explained the reason why I was using the external drive (i.e. needed more memory). I've been tired of having to be tethered to an external hard drive when I use the files (kinda takes away from the convenience of a laptop), so thought what the heck, I'll put all my pictures and videos "in the Cloud" to use without the tethering and supposedly more robust than an external drive as far as external hard drives can die on you. I was even going to put my iTunes library on it since again, I have to be tethered to an external hard drive while using it. I had decided against paying for the extra storage space when I bought the MBP since I thought it would be easy with our network drive, Cloud storage and the external hard drives. But then the network drive died, Time Capsule (as a location for external storage) is a disappointment, Cloud storage isn't what it's cracked up to be and external HD's are a pain. Live and learn. I will now be cutting down that iCloud storage to waaaay less. If anyone knows of a secure Cloud storage service that performs exactly like an external hard drive, without using up Mac internal memory, please let me know! I still prefer the Mac over our previous PC, but the storage issue seems to be a larger issue that Apple needs to address better, perhaps by cutting the price on what it charges for extra memory on the laptops to begin with.

If anyone knows of a secure Cloud storage service that performs exactly like an external hard drive, without using up Mac internal memory, please let me know!

Almost every service available (with the exception of iCloud), Box, Dropbox, Onedrive etc. iCloud is a synchronization service, not storage.

If anyone knows of a secure Cloud storage service that performs exactly like an external hard drive, without using up Mac internal memory, please let me know!

Yes, iCloud can do this, simply don't enable iCloud Drive and access your documents via iCloud.com➔ iCloud Drive

I think if you go to System Preferences > iCloud > Photos and click on Options, you will find iCloud Photo Library. That's probably the one you want. It supposedly puts your full-resolution photos on their servers and only drops a lower res version to you, unless you want the full res version.

I thought that by paying for 2TB of storage in iCloud I could upload files form my Mac to save disk space, but now my disk is full - I thought using the code would free up drive space! There's something wrong here....... Seems like a waste of money, better to invest in a bigger Time Capsule

Apple needs to reconsider its marketing and branding. Taken from the Apple site:

"iCloud securely stores your photos, videos, documents, music, apps and more — and keeps them updated across all your devices. So you always have access to what you want, wherever you want it."

STORES.

Perhaps it needs to read "iCloud synchronizes and backs up your data" because almost everyone I know assumes it is a storage option. Of course I don't think so any more but they should release a video or link which is more succinct about what it does, where it gets the content from and how to manage it.

If anyone knows of a secure Cloud storage service that performs exactly like an external hard drive, without using up Mac internal memory, please let me know!

If I mentioned this earlier in the thread, apologies.... I don't want to go back through 10 pages!

I've been running a NAS for some time now and it works a treat. I've set up my own cloud and can access it with custom apps from my phone, iPad, laptop anywhere I can have a wifi connection. I can choose to sync folders or simply back them up.

Really worth looking into especially if you're into photography or videography. Oh, and no monthly charges :-)

I was seriously mislead by Apple over this. I have a 256GB drive on a MacBook Pro. When I started to run out of hard drive space (I was working on something which meant I was regularly accessing big files) I went to the local Apple shop, who said the drive couldn't be replaced by. larger one and was recommended to use I Cloud to store the files, so I pay for 2TB storage and uploaded loads of stuff onto iCloud (while keeping back-ups on an external drive). Almost immediately my Mac hard drive filled up and I was getting 'drive full' messages even though there was hardly anything on the drive!

It's very misleading of Apple to sell this on the basis that iCloud is storage and will free up drive space!

I've now culled iCloud and got my hard drive back

Can totally relate. Despite comments of others to assume we should know better one would assume a giant like Apple could represent the product in its truest form. Instead of misleading users and leaving a negative experience. But hey, we learn through experience and word of mouth sometimes trumps 'marketing'. We want it to work for us, this is a help forum supposedly but somehow users feel as though It's their fault for not knowing the product inside out. Try googling iCloud photos and see how many discussions come up! Step one for Apple is not to mislead users and perhaps allocate some 'experts' on these forums to respond in a more constructive way rather than making people feel stupid.

I'll check that out. Thanks! I take it that is an "all or nothing" solution though, where I would enable the drive, and not be able to only enable certain files or folders at a time?

I will be dropping the 2TB plan for a lessor GB plan, regardless, once I figure out the relationship between iCloud Drive and iCloud Photos and how they co-exist together. I was looking at iCloud drive more for an alternative to having to tether my iTunes (currently on an external hard drive that I have to plug in when I use iTunes) and thought that it worked more like an external hard drive (i.e. doesn't take up space on Mac and easy to transfer/work with files and can work with them in any environment that has WiFi or a LAN connection). I will look at an NAS set-up again. Had one of them before, but it died, so I'll just look for something more robust.

I had a NAS running, but then something happened to it and it died. That's when I started to looking for alternative solutions that wouldn't die if they overheated, got dusty, etc...and iCloud storage sounded good. In the meantime I've been using large capacity My Passports to store iTunes, and pictures and videos. But I hate, hate, hate the tether. I prefer a wireless solution. 🙂 I'll look into another NAS, but my level of expertise is not high when it comes to routers and NAS so I have to rely on internet blogs and YouTube videos to learn. But once I figure it out I'll cut the iCloud drive and the monthly cost! Thank you.

That could have been me that wrote what you wrote, to the letter. LOL

I'm going to try out using a NAS which is another wireless system that connects though ethernet and becomes your own personal cloud space. And if you can figure out the settings, you could even access it away from home.

My Mac doesn't have an ethernet port, but I have an ethernet splitter, so I'd have the NAS plugged into that with it showing up on my network that I'd access through WiFi. I know what you mean how hardwired would be faster. Thanks.

And if you can figure out the settings, you could even access it away from home.

I'm a dunce when it comes to geeky stuff... but I'm managing to run the Synology I have quite well because it's supported with apps that do all the geeky stuff for you! Drobo is meant to be very easy to use too.

I'm looking at this lot to back up my NAS and see they now do personal back-up plans for Macs too....

worth considering??

Cloud Backup: Easy, Secure Online Backup - Backblaze