downloading files from iCloud

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Level 1

9 points

downloading files from iCloud

I have files stored in iCloud, when I am looking at them in Finder there is a cloud icon with a down arrow. So if I click that and the file downloads, the icon goes away. So where is that file now? Is it now taking up space on the local HD? Is it still stored on the iCloud?

For example, I navigate to the iCloud Drive in the sidebar in a finder window. I find a movie file in one of my folders, and I right click and choose open in Quicktime. The file apparently downloads and a bit later it opens in Quicktime. But in the Finder, nothing appears very different.

So if I wanted to make sure that the file is no longer taking space on my HD after watching it, but I do want it to stay in the iCloud Drive, what should I do?

It doesn't seem to go into the downloads folder.

I have a lot of GoPro files which I was planning to store in iCloud, most of them are 4GB each. I want to be able to open them, but I also want to make sure they are not using my local HD space when I am not using them.

It's just not really clear to me what happens when the little cloud with down arrow is clicked, or the file is opened directly in Quicktime.

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.3)

Posted on Oct 27, 2017 7:57 PM

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Answer 1

Kappy

Level 10

362,093 points

Oct 27, 2017 8:08 PM in response to ddownn

The file should be on your iPhone where you downloaded it. iCloud Drive is simply a way for the Finder to display files sent to your cloud. To display them in iCloud Drive a copy of the file is also made on your computer's SSD or HDD. They are stored in the /Home/Library/Mobile Documents/ folder.

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Answer 2

ddownn Author

Level 1

9 points

Oct 28, 2017 4:59 AM in response to Kappy

Thanks, that may be helpful. I was having trouble finding a way to word the question.

To clarify, this question has nothing to do with iPhone, only the Mac and iCloud Drive.

Maybe I can describe it a different way. Some of my GoPro movies are an hour long. GoPro splits the movies into 8 minute chunks being 4GB for each 8 minutes.

So the question is, after I download 30GB of clips from iCloud to the local HD to use them to edit and assemble them into a single video file, how do I remove the original 30GB of clips from the local HD while making sure they are kept unchanged on the iCloud Drive?

It seems like if I delete them from the Mobile Documents folder that could remove them from iCloud as well, since that folder is hidden to begin with, and seems to contain files that don’t count against the local HD available space. I say this because I have read about posts where people have used the Documents and Desktop feature where these files are “moved” to iCloud, but still appear in the Mobile Documents folder while not appearing to count against local HD available space.

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Answer 3

ddownn Author

Level 1

9 points

Oct 28, 2017 6:02 AM in response to ddownn

I guess the reason I’m asking is that the process of using the Finder to “download” a file from iCloud Drive has been made to appear so “seamless” or however you want to describe it, that it’s unclear how to remove the downloaded copy locally without touching the iCloud Drive copy. It seems like it would be better to make it so that downloading a file results in it being placed in the downloads folder or somewhere where it is obvious that it’s a copy of what’s on the iCloud Drive.

I guess one solution would be to actually drag the file from the iCloud Drive to a specific location rather than clicking on the little cloud download icon, but that leaves the question of exactly what happens when you click on that icon and how do you clean up files from the local HD that were “downloaded” in this manner while making sure you’re not removing the iCloud Drive copy.

Sometimes making a user experience magical is not such a great thing. When someone pays for 2TB of storage, it shouldn’t include this much guesswork as to how to manage that much data. I would pay $1 more per month if the process didn’t seem mysterious.

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