Thatblokeoverthere
Level 1 (15 points)
Mac OS X

Q: how do I selectively turn off iCloud uploads?

My Mac has suddenly decided to upload all my documents and desktop to iCloud. I want to delete all these files from iCloud and keep them on my Mac only. I just want iCloud for photos and selected documents. It's worked fine up until now.

 

In SETTINGS, I can turn this off but this will leave documents on iCloud only. I want them on my Mac only.

This question has been asked before but I didn't understand the answer given.

iMac (27-inch Mid 2011), macOS Sierra (10.12), uprated memory (the mac, not me)

Posted on Oct 21, 2016 4:40 PM

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Thatblokeoverthere

Q: how do I selectively turn off iCloud uploads?

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  • by Barney-15E,Helpful

    Barney-15E Barney-15E Oct 22, 2016 12:17 PM in response to Thatblokeoverthere
    Level 9 (50,876 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 22, 2016 12:17 PM in response to Thatblokeoverthere

    It is doing that because you allowed it to do that in the Setup Assistant.

    Once you disable it, copy the Desktop and Documents folder contents back to the appropriate folders in your Home folder.

  • by Thatblokeoverthere,

    Thatblokeoverthere Thatblokeoverthere Oct 22, 2016 12:26 PM in response to Barney-15E
    Level 1 (15 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 22, 2016 12:26 PM in response to Barney-15E

    Thanks for your input. I have been using iCloud for a long time but this is the first time my documents and desktop have uploaded automatically to iCloud. I now realise that the change came when I updated to Sierra. I reckon the auto upload is selected by default.

     

    So now I have all my stuff on iCloud and on my iMac HDD. If I opt to stop the synchronisation, the system will leave all my stuff on iCloud and remove it from my HDD. So I have three options:

    1. Follow your suggestion which seems to be a sensible way forward.

    2. Move all documents I don't want on iCloud to a folder outside 'Documents or Desktop'. I'm assuming this will delete the appropriate files from iCloud. Am I right?

    3. Just accept that all my stuff is now on iCloud. (At least I'll have a backup.)

     

    Am I right in my assumption that if a file is deleted from within 'documents' or 'desktop', it will also be deleted from iCloud?

     

    Thanks again.

  • by Barney-15E,Helpful

    Barney-15E Barney-15E Oct 22, 2016 10:56 PM in response to Thatblokeoverthere
    Level 9 (50,876 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 22, 2016 10:56 PM in response to Thatblokeoverthere

    Am I right in my assumption that if a file is deleted from within 'documents' or 'desktop', it will also be deleted from iCloud?

    If you mean you delete the item from the Desktop or Documents folders in iCloud Drive, then yes they will be deleted from iCloud.

  • by Thatblokeoverthere,

    Thatblokeoverthere Thatblokeoverthere Oct 22, 2016 11:01 PM in response to Barney-15E
    Level 1 (15 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 22, 2016 11:01 PM in response to Barney-15E

    This is the source of my confusion. As I see it, I now have two copies of every file. One on my Mac HDD and the other in iCloud. If I modify a file on my Mac HDD it then synchronises with the other copy on iCloud. Is that not the case?

  • by Barney-15E,

    Barney-15E Barney-15E Oct 23, 2016 5:24 AM in response to Thatblokeoverthere
    Level 9 (50,876 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 23, 2016 5:24 AM in response to Thatblokeoverthere

    You shouldn't have two copies at all. Once they are moved to iCloud, they shouldn't appear in your home folder.

     

    When you disable Desktop and Documents in iCloud, you have to move the files out of iCloud Drive and back to your home folder.