Documents and Desktop folders not appearing on my Mac

This seemed reasonable and I was hopeful, so I unchecked iCloud Drive while it was taking forever to upload my Desktop and Documents Folder (I had expect it to copy the files, not move them – or copy them and hide them on my computer).

And then it asked me if I wanted to save a copy and I said yes, just to be safe.

And that was all. Nothing else. And I go to Finder and look for documents and I have a folder for "Microsoft User Data" and nothing else – all gone, at least to the naked eye. If they're hiding, they're hiding well.

I'm on a MacBook Pro running the latest version of High Sierra – perhaps that's different.

Any help would save my computing life. Thanks.

When you disable Desktop & Documents, you home folder Desktop and Documents folders will reappear, but they will be empty. You have to move the files from iCloud Drive back into those folders.

Nothing is actually moved or copied, just hard links to the files are made in the appropriate places.

But I stopped the upload at about the 10% mark, so 90% of those files aren't on iCloud. I would have expected 10% grayed out on my computer, but depending on how I access Documents (either Finder or Word), they're either not there at all or they're grayed out.

Also, if I try to save something new in Word, the filename just disappears. I can't even save from Word on Dropbox – I have to save an attached file to Dropbox and then open it in Word to work on it. If I save it to Word first, then it just gets grayed out immediately.

Looking around now in Finder, I see that Pictures and Photos are all grayed out.

I tried rebooting, but nothing changes.

donellis wrote:

But I stopped the upload at about the 10% mark, so 90% of those files aren't on iCloud.

None of that matters. No files are moved off your hard drive. They get uploaded to iCloud in the background.

When you turn it off, hard links of the files are created in iCloud's local storage, Mobile Documents. The links to the files are removed from your Desktop and Documents folders. Again, nothing is floating around in the ether.

Are the files in iCloud Drive Desktop and Documents folders?

Your Pictures and Photos folders being grayed out have nothing to do with iCloud Drive, so something else may be wrong causing the issues you are having with your files.

That's reassuring – and something I had hoped for, since I didn't see my available disk space change.

So now my question is: How to I get everything back to the way things appeared before I turned on iCloud?

You asked "Are the files in iCloud Drive Desktop and Documents folders?" I don't even know where to find those, so I don't know.

Thanks for your advice – now and for a couple more replies, I hope. 🙂

Added:

Is that the "iCloud Drive" I see in Finder? If so, I believe some of them are there. About an hour ago, in a fit of desperation, I turned on iCloud Drive for Desktop and Documents and I'm letting it run. I figured it wouldn't hurt anything.

Thanks again.

Yes, that is the one. All of your files should appear in those folders. I can't remember what they look like if they haven't been uploaded.

If they are not all there, I don't know what to tell you.

If they are there, even if not uploaded, you can drag them into your home folder Desktop and Documents folders to move them off iCloud and back into your Home folder. It's got to be off to see your Desktop and Documents folders in your Home folder.

Thanks again, Barney. My breathing is returning to normal. Now that I know that nothing has been deleted or lost, I think I'll let the iCloud backup continue until it's complete. And then I'll decide if I want to leave it all in iCloud (now that I understand it), or move everything back to Documents and Desktop locally, after turning off iCloud.

I take it that you can't have your Documents and Desktop in both places and just have them sync – is that correct? My thought that this was how it works is what led me into this problem in the first place.

If I want them in both places, perhaps I should just use Dropbox.

You've been great! Much obliged.

Don

Well, the technically are in both places when you have Desktop & Documents in iCloud Drive enabled.

Your Mac has a local copy, and there is another copy in iCloud. Most everything in iCloud has a local copy on your Mac. If you enable Optimize storage, then it may remove some files from your Mac if you need the space.

Yes, I see your point – I guess if I leave them in iCloud, I would just have to get used to going to a different local folder. So this means that if I'm ever without an internet connection I can still call up any file in Documents and work on it and save it? (I could test that, of course, but I'm in the middle of a project that needs wifi, sorry.)

Cheers,

Don

If I try to turn iCloud Drive off, I get this message:

If you turn off iCloud Drive, all documents stored in iCloud will be removed from this Mac.

This includes documents on your Desktop and in your Documents folder which will be available on iCloud Drive only.

And my choices are: Keep a copy / Cancel / Remove from Mac

I want all of my iCloud files and folders back on my Mac, so which do I choose. It certainly sound like "Remove from Mac" will delete files and folders on my Mac before I can move them from iCloud Documents to Documents locally. Since I read that this is an almost instantaneous process, I know that they will not be downloaded from iCloud back to my computer, but will simply create hard links – is that possible if I choose "Remove from Mac"?

Sorry that this is turning into an epic.

I also had the same issue.

Updated OS to High Sierra via clean install. On boot iCloud.com still showed my old Desktop and Documents but the new install had empty Desktop and Documents folders.

Its been a couple days, and I didn't solve it until finding this thread and messing around just now..

I went to "System Information" via right-click on HD > "Manage Storage..."

Then went down the Recommendations list: Store in iCloud, Optimize .. etc.. and activated / turned them all on.

Within a few moments all of my files started downloading back to my desktop and 'local' documents folder.

Hope that helps you or anyone else with the same issue. iCloud was already properly set up to sync but it seems like the system sync just needed a little boost to get it going again.

If you turn off iCloud Drive, all documents stored in iCloud will be removed from this Mac.

This includes documents on your Desktop and in your Documents folder which will be available on iCloud Drive only.

And it means what it says as I stated above. They will still remain in iCloud Drive. You can then move them to your home Folder Desktop & Documents folders.

The options to keep a copy or Remove from Mac are new and I can only assume it was added to clarify the situation. It apparently hasn't.

I don't know what "keep a copy" does.

I assume Remove from Mac is the same as it was and as I described.

It certainly sound like "Remove from Mac" will delete files and folders on my Mac before I can move them from iCloud Documents to Documents locally.

I'm not sure why it sounds like that. To me, it sounds like they will only be available on iCloud Drive and not available on your Mac until you move them from iCloud Drive to your Mac--but then, they've never actually been removed from your Mac. It's all Finder "smoke and mirrors."

I know that they will not be downloaded from iCloud back to my computer, but will simply create hard links – is that possible if I choose "Remove from Mac"?

That's what I assume that means.

well i read and i wanted the files to load on to icloud as i had just purchased 200 gb.. after all the files disappeared from teh dektop when i went to my icloud i saw the files were not even there .. if that has happpened i may as well go jump off and end my life cos my lifes work was there..

im in the middle of peak season and i have no work files.. i know therell be a few jokes cracked at my expense but im honestly suicidal now cos i have nothing on me now to handle the next three events coming up ..

please help ..

System Preferences --> iCloud --> Make sure iCloud Drive is checked and click Options... --> Desktop & Documents Folders should be unchecked. Check it. Wait about a minute. Uncheck it again. As soon as you do that, your iCloud drive folder on your Mac should begin to populate with all of your folders. Bear in mind that unless you've checked Optimize Mac Storage in the Options window, the entire contents of whatever you have in the iCloud will be copied to your Mac's HD.

You seem to have understood the problem, which I have been experiencing--knowledgable mac user has checked everything correctly in system preferences (yes sync, no optimization) and yes the Finder shows no documents or desktop folders in icloud drive. yet visiting icloud.com reveals they are all indeed there. So something is not working correctly. (many comments assume the user has not read what icloud drive is)

This has happened to me a few times this month, and the plist idea was genius. Thank you for your help.