Save temporary (unsaved) files NOT in iCloud Drive?

I have noticed with OS X Yosemite that all unsaved documents created with iWork (and TextEdit) are temporarily saved in iCloud Drive (instead of on the computer) for no apparent reason.

Let me explain: Pages, Numbers, and Keynote (and all document-based programs) have to create temporary copies of files while users are working on them, so it can keep track of what you put in the file. In previous versions of OS X, these files were stored in a temporary directory on the hard drive itself. With Yosemite, these temporary files appear on iCloud Drive instead.

This is a concern for me as:

  • This can fill up space in the iCloud Drive (especially if it's full already)
  • It is a potentially big security issue - I work on personal documents sometimes, and I don't necessarily want iCloud touching them at all - in the process of uploading the file bits to iCloud Drive, the computer has to contact the internet to send the data over, which means that a hijacker can read the data being sent, especially if on a public Wi-Fi network.

I know I can disable Versions, which may fix the issue, but I would rather keep this on. Is there any way to force temporary/unsaved files to remain on my Mac, and only go to iCloud Drive if I explicitlychoose to do so?

MacBook Pro, OS X Yosemite (10.10.2), 2010 13"

Posted on Feb 6, 2015 2:03 PM

Reply
4 replies

Feb 6, 2015 2:16 PM in response to Neo399

Disabled Versions via Terminal commands:

defaults write -app <app> ApplePersistence -bool NO

defaults write -app <app> AutosavingDelay -int 0


This stopped the saving to iCloud Drive, brought Save As back, and got rid of the document name dropdown beside the window title.

But there still should be some way to solve this without disabling Versions and Auto Save.

Feb 6, 2015 2:24 PM in response to Neo399

Neo399 wrote:


But there still should be some way to solve this without disabling Versions and Auto Save.


Maybe set the default location not to be iCloud?

http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20120820003211714

Or turn iCloud off?


Apple claim data in transit is encrypted, it should be safe unless someone is 'man in the middling' you & stripping SSL. Some corporate proxies will do this on managed devices.

iCloud security and privacy overview - Apple Support

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Save temporary (unsaved) files NOT in iCloud Drive?

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