how to delete hidden folders from iCloud
I have uninstalled Autodesk SketchBook a long time ago but it is still has a hidden folder in iCloud. How can I delete it?
MacBook Pro TouchBar and Touch ID, macOS High Sierra (10.13)
I cannot find any process using both Activity Monitor or the command line:
I have uninstalled this app a long time ago. I've read that some people find hidden folders for apps which has been removed for years:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/clean-up-hidden-folders-in-icloud.2034475/
Anyone has a solution? It is annoying.
If I disable the iCloud drive:
Then I am able to properly clean my Mac:
But if I want to the the iCloud drive (which I want) then the SketchBook files will be recreated.
Now, in this moment there is a hidden folder in my iCloud drive with my app preferences even if I am not using it anymore. I am now in this moment not able to delete that hidden folder.
As soon as I will reenable the iCloud drive these files will be recreated on my drive.
I see no point in contacting Autodesk Support, in this moment my computer is clean of Autodesk software. The only ones I could call is Apple to delete my hidden folder.
If I want to delete that hidden folder I have to reenable the iCloud drive. As soon as I do that the preference files will be recreated on my drive. If I delete the hidden folder in Finder it will also be recreated instantly from my local drive.
It is a problem related to how the cloud works and not being able to see hidden folders in the web interface and not being able to control the synchronization between my local drive and the iCloud drive.
You are not alone here, and I understand what you mean. I have exactly the same problem, but I found them folders in a bit different way. Ill show you:
When you go to iCloud website, and go to pages or numbers, and then choose „browse”, then
and you will she plenty leftovers from your apps from iOS and also your Mac. And you can’t delete them. The only option is to contact apple support. I’ve got problem with wrong amount free space. I deleted folder with 7 GB of data but didn’t get my storage back. Its not my first problem with iCloud like that. Basically I think, that iCloud Drive I the worse ever cloud to store your files. Another thing, when I uploaded some files, it also doesn’t reflect on my free space. I gave up, im going back to One Drive. At least its reliable.
I tried to remove everything. These files are automatically recreated. No matter what I do.
macbook2:~ codrut$ sudo find / -name "*SketchBook*" -print
Password:
find: /private/var/db/ConfigurationProfiles/Store: Operation not permitted
find: /private/var/folders/lc/m48mwjks63z4vl9rqdg17qk80000gn/0/SafariFamily: Operation not permitted
find: /private/var/folders/lc/m48mwjks63z4vl9rqdg17qk80000gn/0/com.apple.LaunchServic es.dv: Operation not permitted
find: /private/var/folders/lc/m48mwjks63z4vl9rqdg17qk80000gn/0/com.apple.nsurlsession d: Operation not permitted
find: /private/var/folders/lc/m48mwjks63z4vl9rqdg17qk80000gn/0/com.apple.routined: Operation not permitted
find: /private/var/folders/zz/zyxvpxvq6csfxvn_n00000y800007k/0/com.apple.nsurlsession d: Operation not permitted
/Users/codrut/Library/Application Support/CloudDocs/session/containers/XXKJ396S2Y.com.autodesk.SketchBookPro
/Users/codrut/Library/Application Support/CloudDocs/session/containers/XXKJ396S2Y.com.autodesk.SketchBookPro.plis t
/Users/codrut/Library/Mobile Documents/XXKJ396S2Y~com~autodesk~SketchBookPro
/Users/codrut/Library/Caches/CloudKit/com.apple.bird/XXKJ396S2Y.com.autodesk.Ske tchBookPro
find: /dev/fd/3: Not a directory
find: /dev/fd/4: Not a directory
That is what I'm trying to understand too. My guess is this:
- you enable the iCloud drive
- you install an app which is using iCloud like SketchBook for example
- a hidden folder is created in the iCloud drive
- you uninstall the app
- the hidden folders are still in the iCloud
- you disable the iCloud drive
- you can clean your computer
- you enable the iCloud drive
- the hidden folder still exists on the iCloud drive
I see no solution on how to delete the hidden folders in the iCloud drive. It seems once created then there's simply no way to delete them. Unless someone had found a solution.
Asserted that you have some component that are still creating the folder, I would suggest to:
- enable the FS monitoring
- delete the folder
- wait an entry in the monitoring
Let us know, it's a curios problem this one 🙂
Codrutz wrote:
Thanks but I already did that. There are not leftover from my SketchBook installation if I disable the iCloud Drive. As soon as I enable it the files are recreated.
Download EasyFind from the App Store, set the search parameters to Sketchbook.
My opinion is that this is a bug in how the cloud works. These hidden folders are created with apps preferences and let's say you disable the iDrive then you can clean your Mac properly. But as soon as you reenable the iCloud drive the files are recreated automatically. There is no way to delete these hidden folders from the web interface as they are not visible. They are only visible from Finder if you enable seeing hidden folders. But if you try to delete them they are automatically recreated from your local drive.
Maybe someone know how to disable this synchronization from the local drive to the iCloud drive.
No. If I disable the iCloud drive, I am able to delete all the files on my drive related to SketchBook. I have no files in /Library, ~/Libray, /private/var, /var etc related to Autodesk or SketchBook. The computer ran for weeks like this with the iCloud drive disabled and I had no SketchBook files on my drive anymore.
But when I enable again the iCloud drive the files are recreated automatically from my iCloud drive account. From the hidden folder created previously a long time ago. Which I cannot delete from the web interface as I cannot see hidden folders.
You don't upload software on the Apple's cloud, so how can the Apple software understand and know how to create this folder? If you disable the iCloud Drive the background process which is running in your computer do not find the volume and won't create anything. As soon as you enable the iCloud disk, the process find the volume and create the folder.
If you want to fix the problem, monitor the filesystem how I wrote in the previous page and see the access to the root folder of iCloud otherwise you won't reed of this issue because ... is not Apple to create this folder 😀
Why don't use this: https://www.etrecheck.com/ and check the full report?
Well at this point I do not see how you can get more help here: we posted some suggestion that have not been applied (monitoring the FS and checking with the other software posted by the other user). You don't want to engage Autoskecht ... your only hope is to talk with the Apple Support ;-)
But anyway your research using the terminal check only file containing the name of the software, if the daemon is named as example autosktch it won't be listened by your query.
If now, with the iCloud drive disabled I reformat my drive and do a clean install from scratch I will reenable the iCloud drive these files will be recreated. I know because I am having two Macbooks. These files are now present on my second Macbook. The problem is related to the iCloud.
And in the other computer you never installed this software? Neither on an iPhone or other device connected with iCloud? Looks incredible, but if it's like this call Apple because we can't help further.
Anyway, just for personal curiosity, I would monitor the FS ;-)
If you take a look at the path the files are on, they are not in iCloud Drive, the path references your Mac as the location.
If you do not completely remove Sketchbook you will never, repeat never, solve the problem.
Is not enough my friend. You don't know if a daemon has a different name which do not contains "SketchBook".
On the Mac where this software has never been installed logout from iCloud (from System Preferences), then disable the iCloud on the "guilty" Mac, execute http://etrecheck.com/ if you want to see of you have missing references, daemons or other startup items (even orphaned), then enable iCloud, enable the cloud disk, enable the File System monitoring and delete the folder. Then stop the monitoring after you see that the folder has been recreated.
Be also sure before to start, that no other device are logged to your iCloud or have this software installed.
how to delete hidden folders from iCloud