Transferring files back from icloud to laptop

Lindymac wrote:

I recently upgraded to High Sierra and all my files have automatically been transferred to icloud. I don't want this, so how can I quickly and easily transfer them back to the hard drive on my laptop?

Add your Desktop and Documents files to iCloud Drive - Apple Support explains how under the heading:

Turn off Desktop and Documents

When you turn off Desktop & Documents Folders, your files stay in iCloud Drive and a new Desktop and Documents folder is created on your Mac in the home folder. You can move files from iCloud Drive to your Mac as you need them, or select all of your files and drag them to the place you want to keep them.

1. From your Mac, go to Apple menu > System Preferences > iCloud.
2. Next to iCloud Drive, click Options.
3. Deselect Desktop & Documents Folders.
4. Click Done.

If you turn off iCloud Drive or sign out of iCloud, you have the option to keep a local copy of your files that are in iCloud Drive. Whether you decide to keep a local copy or not, a new Desktop and Documents folder is created in your home folder. If you choose to keep a local copy, your files in iCloud Drive are copied to a folder called iCloud Drive (Archive) in your home folder. Then you have the option to move any files that were in your iCloud Desktop and Documents, back to your new local Desktop and Documents.

Lindymac wrote:

Thank you Ferd, this clarifies things a bit, so I guess my question is can you choose which files to sync and which not to sync?

IMHO, it is an all, or none option. It would be too confusing for me to even try to attempt answering that question.

I do not have a need to sync my Desktop, and Documents Folders with all of my devices. Do you?

if you in finder see them in iCloud Drive then they are on your hard drive

it's just that the data of that dir is synced to iCloud too