How to move documents from icloud back to mac

I have tried like this, System Preferences- iCloud - click options infront of iCloud Drive - deselect desktop and documents folders . Then it will prompt whether to have the copy on local, if you click that it will take you to finder showing the documents folder in iCloud . Just select all using Ctrl A, Copy all, click documents shown under favourites in the side bar, paste all items there. Then we can delete the documents from iCloud. I have all my files on Mac now.

Similar situation with my father. He didn't realize he was turning on iCloud synchronization, and after turning it off, discovered that his Desktop was empty (probably Documents too, but that wasn't in the worried E-mail message I got this morning).

This seems to be the opposite of what one should expect; when turning off this feature, you should at least be given the option of restoring your files to the Desktop and Documents folders.

I'm doing "remote tech support" for an octogenarian who isn't very comfortable making any changes to his computer. Hopefully there is a simple solution that I can talk him through.

How do I copy my documents back to my MacBook, I tried unchecking the options box, but my documents have not been released. They were added to the iCloud drive again.

I need to access them from my desktop, when working on documents, possibly add them to the cloud drive later when completed and need to share.

Apple are making working on their machines so idiotic that I am thinking my reliable pen and ink is fast becoming a viable alternative.

Ditto internet.

Ridiculous the way our working lives are thus totally dictated to and dominated by - faulty technology.

peace, Susanne

screw you apple. stop doing **** without asking me. i don't want icloud. it *****. let me just keep all my documents on my computer and use dropbox. i have to sync all my **** from the cloud back to my computer to restore my desktop files etc

I'm still trying to get my docs back to my Mac from iCloud but will continue with these instructions. Thank you!

Could this also be why I cannot rearrange the icons on my doc? Are the desktop and dock/icon settings stored in the iCloud now and preventing me from rearranging or anything? Oy ve...this is giving me a headache.

It minimizes everything and shows me the desktop picture. In the center is a small message that reads "No available windows". I can right click and get the usual options, but cannot rearrange them or even pull them off to delete them. It is weird. I'm betting it is a setting somewhere but even Apple Tech Support could not help me on Friday....

Might be a corrupt .plist.

Do a backup, preferably 2 backups on 2 separate drives.

Quit the application.

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. Then go to Preferences/com.apple.dock.plist. Move the .plist to your desktop.

Restart the computer, open the application, and test. If it works okay, delete the plist from the desktop.

If the application is the same, return the .plist to where you got it from, overwriting the newer one.

Thanks to leonie for some information contained in this.

This was very helpful, thank you. I thought it would take ages to send them back over from iCloud to Documents folder but it was amazingly quick! Then they disappeared from the iCloud drive which is what I wanted.

Thank you

Thanks Maurice,

Imagine trying to save something and wondering why "Desktop" is under "Cloud". A quick google lead me to your answer and saved the day.

Now to Time Machine this stuff before anything else happens.

Gene

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! I've just done this and it's worked! Was very nervous about losing everything, but it seems to all be there. Hopefully it's slightly speeded up my Mac again which was horrendously slow after an OS update yesterday. At least I can get back in to the internet as it's stopped trying to upload all the thousands of files I have onto the iCloud. Just hope I've done it right! Am a complete technophobe! Thank you anyway - nervous breakdown avoided!

Have you tried dragging the documents to your Desktop to make a copy? When they are all copied to the Desktop, turn off documents syncing and then create a new Documents folder in your user. Then copy the data to that folder.

You are welcome.

Send Apple feedback. They won't answer, but at least will know there is a problem or a suggestion for change. If enough people send feedback, it may get the problem/suggested change solved sooner.

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