scuba george
Level 1 (4 points)
iCloud

Q: Sierra upgrade and keeping my files local

How do I upgrade to Sierra WITHOUT moving ALL files to iCloud?  I'm a photographer with a Retina iMac for my digital darkroom and a Macbook Air for downloading images in the field (there's no iCloud access at sea on a dive boat!!!) and managing documents related to proposals and so forth.  I want my reference copy of all my files on the iMac (I use a Pegasus RAID array) and I want to make my own decisions about which files I copy to the MBA and which files I move to iCloud to share between devices.  I decided to upgrade my MBA to Sierra and was VERY unhappy when it informed me it was uploading ALL of my files to iCloud and would manage which files would be available locally.  Fortunately, on the MBA, I didn't have many files and I think I now have it configured correctly.  I will NOT upgrade my iMac to Sierra until I understand how to do the upgrade without Sierra defaulting to moving my files to iCloud.  Is this an option and how do I do it?

MacBook Air, macOS Sierra (10.12)

Posted on Oct 19, 2016 4:42 PM

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scuba george

Q: Sierra upgrade and keeping my files local

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  • by zinacef,

    zinacef zinacef Oct 19, 2016 5:59 PM in response to scuba george
    Level 5 (5,938 points)
    Applications
    Oct 19, 2016 5:59 PM in response to scuba george

    You can move the files out of iCloud Drive onto the Mac (or external HDD if that's applicable) and turn off iCloud Drive after.

  • by scuba george,

    scuba george scuba george Oct 19, 2016 8:53 PM in response to zinacef
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iCloud
    Oct 19, 2016 8:53 PM in response to zinacef

    Yes; that's what I did.  And, when I upgrade my iMac, I suppose I can move the bulk of my files from my hard drive to my RAID array, dismount my RAID array, let the upgrade process move my remaining files to iCloud, move them back from iCloud, and configure iCloud.  But I'd MUCH rather have the option, during the upgrade, of choosing whether I want the files moved in the first place.  Frankly, I am DEEPLY disappointed that Apple would write the upgrade process to presumptuously move my files from my system drive to the cloud service. 

  • by zinacef,

    zinacef zinacef Oct 19, 2016 8:59 PM in response to scuba george
    Level 5 (5,938 points)
    Applications
    Oct 19, 2016 8:59 PM in response to scuba george

    Your plan sounds solid.  As for the disappointment part, this is all you can do -- http://www.apple.com/feedback/

  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root Oct 20, 2016 1:28 PM in response to scuba george
    Level 9 (74,064 points)
    iTunes
    Oct 20, 2016 1:28 PM in response to scuba george

    Did you try going to System Preferences/iCloud/iCloud Drive/Options and uncheck Documents and Data?

  • by scuba george,

    scuba george scuba george Oct 20, 2016 2:42 PM in response to Eric Root
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iCloud
    Oct 20, 2016 2:42 PM in response to Eric Root

    Thanks for responding; once the upgrade was complete, I did go there and uncheck documents and data. 

     

    That was AFTER the upgrade, and i then moved my files back to where I wanted them (fortunately, I don't keep many files on the MBA so it didn't take too terribly long). 

     

    But, that was AFTER the upgrade and part of the recovery.  That option does not exist on my El Capitan system, so I cannot set a preference BEFORE the upgrade to avoid having to go through a recovery process. 

     

    I'm hoping there's an option to select BEFORE or DURING the upgrade to avoid this presumptuous action, as I don't want to spend however much time it takes to have the upgrade process move all my files up to the cloud and then move them back...

  • by Farse,

    Farse Farse Oct 21, 2016 1:42 AM in response to scuba george
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Oct 21, 2016 1:42 AM in response to scuba george

    Generally, I'm happy to go where Apple drives me with their design changes, but this fully qualifies as a goof. I also do a lot of work where I don't have continuous internet connection and want local files. To force customers through these hoops when a simple option during the upgrade process would protect us is excessive hubris, even for Apple.

     

    I  think I'll just stay with El Capitan until I see what they do with it. If they don't address it, I think Apple zealotry will begin to weaken.