Level 1

56 points

How to move documents from icloud back to mac

I recently decided to use icloud to store my documents. I now discover there is no longer a folder for Documents on my Mac. The Documents favorite is also missing from my Finder with no option to add it back. The only option and thing I see in Finder is Documents under iCloud. I want to stop using icloud for storing my documents. How do I get all of the documents back onto my Mac? I tried to create a "Documents" folder under my user but it comes back and says it already exists. I can't find it. Help!

Posted on Oct 3, 2016 6:53 PM

Top-ranking reply

chnmurali

Level 1

9 points

Posted on Jan 22, 2017 9:42 PM

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.

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28 replies

Aug 2, 2017 9:32 AM in response to j.h.m.a.

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

Genex17

Level 1

18 points

Feb 22, 2018 11:16 PM in response to j.h.m.a.

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

pucko13

Level 1

12 points

Mar 26, 2018 9:43 AM in response to j.h.m.a.

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!

roncarr Author

Level 1

56 points

Oct 4, 2016 3:41 PM in response to Eric Root

Thanks Eric. I got it working last night. If you look at my reply to Steve you'll see what I did. There's got to be an easier way.

Oct 5, 2016 7:55 PM in response to roncarr

That makes sense. Not exactly the legendary Apple "ease of use."

Thank you.

Feb 26, 2017 12:34 PM in response to j.h.m.a.

Perfect and straight forward - thanks

zlatnik

Level 1

17 points

Mar 7, 2017 2:59 PM in response to j.h.m.a.

Thank you! This solved the problem.

Apr 5, 2017 4:21 PM in response to roncarr

**** you icloud

Eric Root

Level 10

685,215 points

Jul 31, 2017 11:45 AM in response to lilliasa

What happens when you try to rearrange the Dock icons?

Dec 8, 2017 12:12 AM in response to Steve Davidson

Yes, agreed. Helpful - though Apple won't allow me to select that choice here!!

Jan 4, 2018 10:27 PM in response to Eric Root

I did try dragging the folders with files to the desktop. They ended being moved within iCloud to the desktop.

This is incredible frustrating.

Going back to dropbox......

Jan 15, 2018 9:27 PM in response to mdb288

"i think that many on this thread are not looking at things in the correct manner..."

Apple's new slogan: "you're doing it wrong." For that, I can get a PC.

Mar 8, 2018 3:34 AM in response to j.h.m.a.

Thanks - you just saved my life there.

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How to move documents from icloud back to mac