Library/Chaches/com.apple.bird is bigger then 45GB

I too noticed a large com.apple.bird file in the cache folder, tens of gigabytes.

Unchecking and checking iCloud preference did indeed reduced its size to less than 200Mb.

However after iCloud had finished downloading iCloud documents to my Mac, available disk space had been reduced by an amount approximately equal to the total size of documents.

Whereas that may make some sense, the available disk space was higher prior to unchecking and checking iCloud preference.

I was wondering whether an image or invisible copy of the downloaded documents resides somewhere in the system?

I have found the iCloud (archive) which is created after unchecking iCloud preference, and deleted it though it was not the culprit.

Any suggestions would be welcomed.

The documents should be in your user Library/Mobile Documents folder.

Go to Finder and select your user/home folder. With that Finder window as the front window, either select Finder/View/Show View options or go command - J. When the View options opens, check ’Show Library Folder’. That should make your user library folder visible in your user/home folder. Select Library.

Yes, you can. Click here for more information.

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You can delete it if you wish.

Please back up all data, then open the iCloud pane in System Preferences. If the box marked iCloud Drive is checked, uncheck it and confirm. Your iCloud documents should be preserved on Apple's servers.

Test to see whether there's an improvement, then re-check the box and test again. It may take a noticeable amount of time for your iCloud Drive documents to resynchronize.

The real reason that folders grows so much it's Whatsapp iCloud backup. It basically saves the backup over and over multiple times, and makes it grow a lot. Deactivate it, and you'll see the folder won't grow anymore.

Check this thread.... whatsapp is messing things up with iCloud backup..... large com.apple.bird directory

Thanks.. This worked!

Nice one Linc!

This solved it instantly, I just double clicked the check box for iCloud drive!

Thanks!!!!

Thanks Linc! My Library/Caches/com.apple.bird folder was over 100 GB, littered with WhatsApp backup nonsense. Toggling the iCloud Drive cleared things up.