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Unable to delete folder on iCloud drive

Hi,


I am hoping someone can help me. I use iCloud drive to back up stuff.


However when I try to delete folders on the iCloud drive, it tells me there is a problem and to try again later.


User uploaded file


I have waited a few hours and it still shows this error, one folder deleted but this only had a few things in it.


Do you have to wait ages and delete one folder at a time, waiting for a few hours between each deletion?


Thank-you

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X Mountain Lion, Filevault

Posted on Mar 16, 2015 4:33 PM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Mar 16, 2015 5:12 PM

Install the app that has the folder you want removed if it is not still installed on your iOS device.


From that iOS device go to Settings>iCloud Drive>


Turn off the folders which you would like to remove then delete the app.


(as taken from this thread How do I delete an App Folder in iCloud Drive?)

15 replies

Mar 26, 2015 1:17 PM in response to Bodie_1980

I have deleted files from iCloud through the Finder in Yosemite, but they still show up in iCloud.com.

When I try to delete them there, I get error messages, but only for folders with lots of subfolders and files.

Since iCloud is not working as advertised, I try to remove all my custom files and folders from it.

Even removing stuff appears to be a very painful process.

Wish I never believed any word Apple said about iCloud Drive!

Mar 26, 2015 11:31 PM in response to zinacef

I use SURFdrive now. It is a Dropbox for education people in the Netherlands.

Yesterday I removed 1.2 GB's worth of files and folders from iCloud.

This morning, 1.1 GB was back! (on iCloud.com and on my Mac).

Early this morning I tried to delete the material again, in fairly big batches, from the Finder on my Mac, and lo and behold, after half an hour or so, it was gone, both from iCloud.com and from my Mac.

Advice to non-American users: schedule big iCloud operations at times when a good deal of America is sleeping.

Aug 26, 2015 2:31 PM in response to Bodie_1980

I just ended a week of struggling with this. I had 60GB of files in my 200GB on iCloud. I found them impossible to delete, in Finder, or in the online ICloud. I could delete a file or two, maybe a small folder, but 60GB would be months deleting that way.

I chatted and emailed and called Apple. They had numerous people call me over a week, and couldn't help. I told them to please just delete every file on my ICloud account, I have backups, but they couldn't do that.

I'm an Electrical Engineer with a computer science focus, this isn't scary or strange to me, Apple's file management software, on the laptop and online simply did not work.

Finally, after multiple calls and HOURS on hold, the 3rd or 4th guy called, from a 512 area code (Austin TX). He clearly didn't understand and tried to BS his way through it. Like I said, I know this stuff, I have a 163 IQ and WROTE an OS for fun in college. This nitwit talked in circles for an hour, while I challenged everything he said - since I'd been working on this with people from APPLE for a week and we really had tried everything He told me ICloud can't handle large files, many files, or backup files, though it is specifically designed for backup files. He told me ICloud file manager couldonly handle deleting 30 files at a time - now THAT was probably the only truth he said, Apples file manager software *****. I decided to have some fun so I pointed out that my 60GB was an average of 20KB files. Online ICloud file deletion runs at about one file a second. To delete my 60 GB - not including changing folders - would take 3 MILLION seconds, or about 35 days of me sitting in front of the machine. Now what about those poor fools who bought - and FILLED - a 1 TB account, they would have to spend 18 MONTHS deleting files 30 at a time. The fool just started spouting the same confusing BS, I tired of talking to a nitwit, and hung up.

I decided to cancel my account, drop back to the free 5GB, then Apple would be FORCED to delete my 60GB of files.

Given the normal high quality of Apple support, this was very disappointing

Today I drove to town where my iPhone works and lo and behold, in iCloud on the iPhone I could delete all data files WITH ONE BUTTON - AND IT NOT ONLY WORKED, IT TOOK ONLY 30 SECONDS TO DELETE EVERYTHING.

So, the moral of the story is don't use iCloud to store computer files unless you have an IPhone, as only an IPhone can manage computer files stored on ICloud.


It's very unsettling that this IPhone method works so well, and nobody at Apple who gets the calls about deleting ICloud files knows this method. I just wasted 7 days and 4-5 hours on the phone to multiple Apple support folks, none of whom knew this IPhone method. I just upgraded to IOS 8.4.1 and maybe this is a new feature???? who knows - Apple sure doesn't.


Clearly, Apple has a lot of work to do before ICloud can be used for anything but sharing keychain and a few application files.

For those interested in online Cloud storage, I also have Google Drive and SkyDrive. Google Drive works, but is a bit cumbersome. SkyDrive works just like you would expect it to work. I can copy or erase 60GB over a very slow connection, and it takes forever, but works flawlessly and maybe more important, keeps me informed how it's doing.

Aug 26, 2015 2:38 PM in response to dirkr

See my reply elsewhere in this blog. I spent a week with numerous Apple support guys. You can only delete about 30 files at a time via ICloud online. Using Finder works about once in 10 tries, and usually crashes and must be reset somewhere in Apple.


The only thing that actually does work is IOS. After wasting a week and deleting no files, I looked on my iPhone and there was a file delete button in ICloud 8.4.1


Go to Settings, then ICloud then Storage then Manage Storage then tap where it shows how much is used for your documents, and you can delete them all - Hurray!!!!


You must own an iPhone before you put anything from a laptop on ICloud. Or, buy Skydive or Google Drive and they both just work.

Aug 26, 2015 2:41 PM in response to dirkr

The problem isn't you, it's Apples' file management software on iCloud and the Mac. You can delete files if you do a few at a time and wait prodigious amounts of time between. Or, if you have an iPhone go to Settings then iCloud then Storage then Manage Storage then you can delete files fast and easily. Odd, you can't manage ICloud files from a laptop except with your iPhone.

Nov 1, 2015 2:51 AM in response to DPlew

Many thanks for the precious suggestion. I have found the app on my iPad and asked to delete a folder on iCloud. God knows, maybe the trick is working but the HUGE folder is still there. A very bad pseudo-service apple is giving us for our very good money


EDIT. YES, the content seems to be gone, but the folder is still there. And in the meantime on my MacBook Pro the beach ball is still revolving, and God knows when and if it will stop…

Nov 4, 2015 3:33 PM in response to mario169

I've noticed that "internet services" continually remains 's achilles hills. It a pity because that's what ties all the nice hardware and software together to continually improve our experience using  products and services.


I had been able to delete and create files without a problem since El Capitan came out but today, just did not want to delete my folders. Tried doing it via iPhone but same thing so will try going to iCloud.com on a browser to see.


I hope they get better at handling internet services, anything requiring an internet to function. It's usually a mess although i do understand the internet is a sea of so many different differences. Anyway hope it's fixed. I use Google Drive and Dropbox too and they are more efficient but hey have been around for a while. I subscribed to iCloud Drive because i felt since it's a native  service, the experience will be even better. will give them time but if no improvement, will have to take all my files to Google Drive or Dropbox.

Unable to delete folder on iCloud drive

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