Turning on iCloud Desktop and Documents moves your Mac's Desktop and Documents folders into iCloud Drive. From then on, every file in them counts toward your iCloud storage, appears on your other devices and on iCloud.com, and new files you save there go to iCloud as well.
The switch is Desktop & Documents Folders, in System Settings › your name › iCloud › Drive.
It saves space on your Mac only when Optimize Mac Storage is on too, and only when the Mac needs the space. Then macOS keeps older files in iCloud and removes their downloaded copies. With Optimize off, nothing changes on the Mac's disk: every file stays there and takes iCloud storage on top.
Turning it off doesn't bring your files back. Apple says they stay in iCloud Drive, and macOS creates new, empty Desktop and Documents folders in your home folder. Moving the files back is up to you, and it needs room on the Mac for everything you move.
Some things shouldn't live in synced folders at all: Photos and iMovie libraries, anything over 50 GB, virtual machines, and code projects full of folders a build recreates. The sections below explain each, with what Apple documents and where those things belong instead.
What Desktop & Documents Folders does
It's one switch with a wide reach. Your two most-used folders stop being ordinary local folders and become part of iCloud Drive, with everything that implies for syncing, storage and deleting.
Where are your Desktop and Documents after you turn it on?
Apple says the folders move into iCloud Drive and become available on all your devices and on iCloud.com. On an iPhone or iPad, open the Files app, tap Browse, tap iCloud Drive under Locations, and you'll find a Desktop folder and a Documents folder.
On the Mac, Apple says that in macOS Tahoe 26 and later, the Desktop and Documents folders in iCloud Drive appear under Favorites in Finder's sidebar, each with a cloud icon next to its name. On earlier versions, they appear in the sidebar's iCloud section.
Can you open the files on iCloud.com?
Yes. Sign in at iCloud.com, open iCloud Drive, and open the Desktop or Documents folder. Apple's advice for editing a file there is to download it, edit it, then upload it again, so the latest version syncs to your devices.
What happens to new files you save there?
They go straight to iCloud. Apple's words are that all of your files move to iCloud, and any new files you create are automatically stored there. Your files sync each time the Mac connects to the internet, so a file saved on a plane uploads when you land.
That includes things you may not think of as documents. Screenshots, for example, are saved to the Desktop by default, so with this setting on, every one of them is uploaded and counts toward your iCloud storage.
What happens if you turn it on for a second Mac?
Both Macs' files end up in iCloud Drive. Apple says that when you add a second Mac's Desktop, you'll find its files in the Desktop folder in iCloud Drive, in a folder with the same name as your second Mac. You turn the setting on, or leave it off, on each Mac separately.
Does a second Mac double the space?
Two Macs with busy desktops can surprise you here: the folder in iCloud Drive holds both sets, and both count toward the same iCloud storage. If the second Mac is a work machine, think about whether its files belong in your personal iCloud at all.
Which folders does it include?
Only the two in its name. Your other home folders, and the places apps keep their own data, aren't touched.
| Folder | With Desktop & Documents Folders on |
|---|---|
| Desktop | Moved into iCloud Drive |
| Documents | Moved into iCloud Drive |
| Downloads | Stays on the Mac only |
| Pictures, with your Photos library | Stays on the Mac; Photos syncs through iCloud Photos |
| Movies and Music | Stay on the Mac only |
~/Library | Stays on the Mac; apps sync through their own iCloud settings |
So the setting does nothing about media other apps download, such as Podcasts and TV app downloads, or about a full Downloads folder. If those are what fills your Mac, look there instead.
How to turn iCloud Desktop and Documents on or off
The switch lives in iCloud's Drive settings, below the switch for iCloud Drive itself. The steps are the same in macOS 27 Golden Gate and macOS 26 Tahoe.
How do you turn it on in macOS 27?
- Choose Apple menu › System Settings.
- Click your name at the top of the sidebar, then click iCloud.
- Under Saved to iCloud, click Drive. On earlier versions it may be called iCloud Drive.
- Make sure Sync this Mac is on, then turn on Desktop & Documents Folders.
- Click Done, and repeat on each Mac you want to include.
Apple's article also says that if another cloud service already syncs or manages your Desktop and Documents folders, you need to turn that off first. More on that below.
Could it be on without you choosing it?
Yes, more easily than you'd think. In System Settings › General › Storage, the Store in iCloud recommendation turns on several things at once: storing Desktop and Documents in iCloud Drive, photos in iCloud Photos, and messages in iCloud, and keeping only recently opened files on the Mac.
So a Mac where someone once clicked that recommendation has Desktop & Documents on, possibly years ago. If your Desktop shows cloud icons and you don't remember setting it up, that's the likeliest reason.
How do you tell whether it's on?
Three quick checks:
- In System Settings › your name › iCloud › Drive, the Desktop & Documents Folders switch is on.
- In Finder's sidebar, Desktop and Documents show a cloud icon next to their names.
- In System Settings › General › Storage, the iCloud Drive category is large even though you've saved little to iCloud Drive yourself.
What does Apple's storage view call it?
Storage settings counts the two folders under iCloud Drive, not under Documents, once the setting is on. That's often the first sign people notice: a Documents category that shrank, an iCloud Drive category that grew, and no change in free space.
What it does to your storage, on the Mac and in iCloud
This is where most of the confusion comes from. The setting changes two numbers: your iCloud storage, which goes up at once, and your Mac's free space, which may or may not go up later.
Does iCloud Desktop and Documents free space on your Mac?
Not by itself. The files are still on the Mac after they upload; they're simply in iCloud Drive now. What frees space is Optimize Mac Storage, a separate switch in the same Drive settings, which Apple describes as storing older documents in iCloud when more space is needed.
Even then, Apple says that if space isn't needed, the full contents of iCloud Drive stay on your Mac. Recent files always stay. The post on iCloud Drive taking up space on a Mac explains how Optimize decides, and how Remove Download frees space on your schedule instead.
How much iCloud storage does it use?
The full size of both folders, and everything you add to them. Apple says the files use your iCloud storage, which is shared with iCloud Photos, device backups, Mail and the rest. A Documents folder of 30 GB on the free 5 GB plan simply can't fit.
That's why turning this on often comes right before an iCloud upgrade, or right before the "iCloud storage is full" message. The post on what to do when iCloud storage is full walks through what's using yours and how to make room.
What happens when your iCloud storage runs out?
Files you save to Desktop or Documents stay on the Mac and upload when space becomes available. In Finder, they show Out of Space, and a similar icon can appear next to iCloud Drive in the sidebar. Until they upload, they exist only on this Mac, and Optimize can't remove them.
Meanwhile, your other devices stop receiving changes. A document you edited on the Mac isn't the latest version on your iPad until iCloud has room again.
| Your setup | Files on the Mac | iCloud storage used | Space it can free on the Mac |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desktop & Documents off | All of them | None | None |
| On, Optimize off | All of them | Both folders, in full | None |
| On, Optimize on | Recent files, plus older ones while space allows | Both folders, in full | Older files' copies, when space is needed |
| On, iCloud full | All of them, new ones not uploaded | Up to your limit | None for files not yet uploaded |
A worked example
Say a MacBook Air has a Documents folder of 40 GB and a Desktop of 8 GB, and you turn on Desktop & Documents with a 50 GB plan that's already holding 20 GB of photos. The folders need 48 GB in iCloud; there are 30 GB free.
Some files upload, and the rest show Out of Space. Your Mac's free space doesn't change at all, Optimize or not, because nothing has gone to iCloud that could be removed yet. You'd need a larger plan, or fewer files in those folders, before the setting could help the Mac's disk.
Checking sync status in Finder
Finder can tell you, file by file, what's on the Mac, what's only in iCloud and what's stuck. It's the quickest way to understand what the setting is doing on your Mac.
How do you see which files are only in iCloud?
- Open your Desktop or Documents folder in Finder.
- Choose View › as List.
- Choose View › Show View Options, then select iCloud Status.
A new column shows an icon for each item. Apple notes that the status icon for most transfers appears next to the name even without the column.
What do the status icons mean for these folders?
| Status | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| In iCloud | Stored only in iCloud; downloads when opened | Nothing, unless you need it offline |
| Downloaded | On the Mac and up to date in iCloud | Remove Download if you need the space |
| Keep Downloaded | Stays on the Mac even when space is needed | Use for folders you need offline |
| Waiting to Upload | Not in iCloud yet | Leave the Mac online until it finishes |
| Out of Space | Can't upload: iCloud storage is full | Free iCloud storage or upgrade |
| Ineligible | Can't be stored in iCloud, usually over 50 GB | Move it out of Desktop and Documents |
Waiting to Upload and Out of Space matter most. Until an item has uploaded, the copy on your Mac is the only one, and it isn't on your other devices yet.
How do you check overall progress?
Look at Finder's sidebar. Apple says a pie chart can appear next to iCloud Drive, showing the overall progress of files moving to and from iCloud Drive; it fills from clear to dark as transfers finish. An Out of Space icon in the same spot means iCloud storage is full.
After you first turn the setting on, a large Documents folder can take a long time to upload. Keep the Mac connected and awake until the pie chart disappears before you rely on the files being on your other devices.
Why do files on your Desktop show cloud icons?
Because Optimize Mac Storage has stored them in iCloud and removed their downloaded copies. They're still yours and still listed; double-click one and it downloads, which needs an internet connection. Apple's status for them is In iCloud.
If you'd rather a folder never did this, Control-click it and choose Keep Downloaded. To bring files down before a trip, Control-click them and choose Download Now.
What doesn't belong in synced Desktop and Documents
Anything you put in these folders is treated like a document: uploaded, synced to every device and counted against your iCloud storage. For some kinds of data, that's pointless, and for a few it's harmful. Here's what Apple documents, and what follows from it.
Why shouldn't a Photos library live in Documents?
Apple says iCloud Drive won't upload iMovie, Photos or Aperture libraries from your Desktop and Documents folders, and Finder labels them Ineligible. So a library kept there takes full space on the Mac and gets none of the benefit.
Apple's article on moving a Photos library goes further: don't store a library on a device shared over a network or the internet, including a cloud-based storage service. Photos has its own sync, iCloud Photos.
Keep the library in your Pictures folder or on an external drive, as the post on what's in the Photos library explains.
What about files and folders over 50 GB?
They can't be stored in iCloud Drive at all. Apple says Ineligible usually means an item exceeds the 50 GB limit for an individual folder or file. Large disk images, video projects and archives of old backups are the usual cases. They stay on the Mac, taking full space, while looking as if they belong to iCloud.
Move them to a folder outside Desktop and Documents, or to an external drive. Then the folder they came from can sync normally.
Should virtual machines be in Documents?
Generally not. A virtual machine keeps its disk as one or a few very large files that change whenever it runs. Parallels' own knowledge base lists a Parallels folder in your home folder, or in the Shared folder, as where Parallels Desktop keeps virtual machines: outside Documents.
Problems come when a VM is moved into Documents or onto the Desktop by hand. If it's over 50 GB, it's Ineligible; if it's under, it fills iCloud storage with a disk that's useless on an iPhone. The post on reclaiming virtual machine space covers where UTM, Parallels and VirtualBox keep theirs.
What about code projects with node_modules and build folders?
Apple doesn't document how iCloud Drive handles a code project's thousands of small files, or any way to keep one subfolder inside Documents out of iCloud. What's certain is that every file counts: a project's dependency and build folders, which a tool can recreate in minutes, use iCloud storage like anything else.
The simple fix is to keep projects in a folder of their own in your home folder, outside Desktop and Documents, and use Git or another service for the copies that matter. The post on deleting every node_modules folder shows how much those folders can add up to.
What about recordings, exports and caches?
Some apps save recordings, exports or working files in Documents by default, and a few keep large caches there. None of it needs to be on your iPhone. Check each app's settings for its save location, and point the bulky ones at a folder outside Desktop and Documents.
Screenshots and screen recordings are the most common case, because they land on the Desktop. In the Screenshot app, open Options and choose another folder under Save to. The post on screenshots piling up on a Mac covers clearing out the ones you already have.
What about Notes, Freeform and other apps' data?
They don't go through Documents at all. Notes, Freeform, Voice Memos and similar apps sync their data through their own switches in iCloud settings, so turning Desktop & Documents on or off doesn't change them. The post on how Notes, Freeform and Voice Memos grow covers their storage.
| Item | Why it doesn't belong | Where instead |
|---|---|---|
| Photos, iMovie or Aperture library | Not uploaded; labelled Ineligible | Pictures folder, or an external drive |
| Any file or folder over 50 GB | Can't be stored in iCloud Drive | A local folder or an external drive |
| Virtual machines | Huge, constantly changing files | The VM app's own folder in your home folder |
| Code projects with dependency folders | Regenerated files still use iCloud storage | A projects folder outside Desktop and Documents |
| Screen recordings and bulky exports | Large and rarely needed on other devices | Another Save to folder |
What happens when you turn it off
Apple documents this precisely, and it isn't what most people expect. Your files don't come back by themselves; they stay where the setting put them.
How do you turn off Desktop & Documents Folders?
- Choose Apple menu › System Settings.
- Click your name, then click iCloud.
- Click Drive, or iCloud Drive on earlier versions.
- Turn off Desktop & Documents Folders.
- Click Done.
Where did your files go?
Apple says your files stay in iCloud Drive. New, empty Desktop and Documents folders are created in your home folder on the Mac, and new files are saved there from then on. Your old files are in iCloud Drive, in folders called Desktop and Documents, on every device.
That's why a Desktop can look suddenly empty after turning the setting off. Nothing has been deleted; open iCloud Drive in Finder's sidebar and the folders are there.
How do you move your files back to the Mac?
- Open iCloud Drive in Finder, then its Desktop or Documents folder.
- Select the files you want on the Mac.
- Drag them to the new Desktop or Documents folder in your home folder.
Apple says dragging items out of iCloud Drive copies them to the Mac and removes them from iCloud Drive on all your devices. So after the move, they're ordinary local files, they use your Mac's disk, and they no longer use iCloud storage.
Do you have room to bring everything back?
Check before you start. Files marked In iCloud take almost no room on the Mac now and will take their full size once moved. If your Documents folder in iCloud Drive is 60 GB and the Mac has 40 GB free, it won't fit.
Move the folders you need first, in batches, and leave the rest in iCloud Drive for now. Or move older material straight to an external drive, and check the copies open before you clear anything.
What if you want them on the Mac and in iCloud?
Copy instead of moving. Select the files in iCloud Drive, choose Edit › Copy, open the new local folder and choose Edit › Paste. You then have two independent copies, and both take space: the local one on your Mac, the other in iCloud. They no longer stay in step.
What about your other Macs and your iPhone?
Turning the setting off on one Mac doesn't change the others. A second Mac with it on keeps syncing its own Desktop and Documents. Files you drag out of iCloud Drive disappear from iCloud Drive on every device, including the Files app on your iPhone, so move only what you no longer need there.
What if you turn off iCloud Drive altogether?
Apple says new local Desktop and Documents folders are created in this case too. You can also choose to keep a local copy of your iCloud Drive files, which macOS puts in a folder called iCloud Drive (Archive) in your home folder.
That copy takes full space on the disk. To copy a file to or from that folder, Apple says to hold Option while you drag.
Deleting files in synced Desktop and Documents
With the setting on, your Desktop is part of iCloud Drive, so a delete there behaves like any delete in iCloud Drive. That catches people out more than anything else about this feature.
What happens when you delete a file from your Desktop?
Apple says deleting a file on one device deletes it on all devices signed in with the same Apple Account. It goes to the Mac's Trash first, and deleted files can be recovered from Recently Deleted on iCloud.com for 30 days. Once you empty the Trash or remove them from Recently Deleted, they can't be recovered.
How do you free space without deleting?
Use Remove Download. Control-click files or folders in Desktop or Documents and choose it: the Mac's copy is removed, and the file stays in iCloud and on your other devices, downloading again when you open it. It's the move for finished projects you might need again.
Which folder in your Library should you never touch?
On disk, iCloud Drive's files live in ~/, and with this setting on, that includes your Desktop and Documents. It's iCloud Drive's own sync folder. Never move or delete anything inside it in Finder: a delete there is a delete in iCloud and on every device. Manage the files under iCloud Drive in Finder instead.
Does Time Machine back up synced Desktop and Documents?
Time Machine backs up what's on the Mac's disk. Downloaded files in your synced folders are on the disk; files Optimize has stored only in iCloud aren't. If a folder must be in your backups, set it to Keep Downloaded, or keep it outside iCloud Drive, so Time Machine always has a full copy.
Using another sync service instead
Some people prefer Dropbox, OneDrive or Google Drive for their files, or have a work account that requires one. That's fine, with one rule: only one service should manage your Desktop and Documents.
Can another service sync Desktop and Documents too?
Not alongside iCloud. Apple warns that if another app or cloud service also syncs these folders, it can interfere with or stop iCloud Drive's updating, and you may need to turn the other one off. Apple's other article puts it plainly: if another provider manages these folders, turn it off to use Desktop & Documents Folders.
For a third-party service's own folders, Apple suggests a different place on your Mac, such as your home folder, rather than inside Desktop or Documents.
Which services offer the same thing?
OneDrive is one example: Microsoft documents a Backup tab in the OneDrive app's preferences on a Mac, with Manage backup for folders such as Desktop and Documents. It needs the standalone OneDrive app and Full Disk Access. Other services have their own versions; check each one's documentation before turning it on.
How do you switch from iCloud to another service?
- Turn off Desktop & Documents Folders in iCloud's Drive settings.
- Drag your files from iCloud Drive's Desktop and Documents folders to the new local ones, checking you have room first.
- Wait until nothing shows Waiting to Upload or a download in progress.
- Turn on the other service's sync or backup for those folders, following its own steps.
Doing it in this order means only one service ever manages the folders at a time, and your files are on the Mac when the new service starts.
What if you just want a backup?
Then sync isn't the tool. iCloud, OneDrive and the rest keep devices the same, so a deletion or a damaged file on one device reaches all of them. A backup keeps older copies you can go back to. Time Machine to an external drive does that for a Mac, as long as the files are on the disk.
Is iCloud Desktop and Documents worth it?
It depends on how many devices you use, how big your folders are, and how much iCloud storage you pay for. It's a convenience feature first and a storage feature second.
Who does it suit?
People who move between a Mac, an iPhone and an iPad and want the same files everywhere, without thinking about it. People with a laptop whose disk is small, an iCloud plan with plenty of room, and Optimize Mac Storage on. And anyone who wants a file they saved on the Desktop to be on their phone an hour later.
Who should leave it off?
People on the free 5 GB plan, or a small paid one, with large folders. People whose Documents holds libraries, virtual machines, projects or media that can't or shouldn't sync. And people who need full, offline copies of everything, such as for a Time Machine backup they rely on.
Is there a middle way?
Yes: leave the setting off and use iCloud Drive selectively. Create folders in iCloud Drive for what you actually want on every device, such as current projects or paperwork, and keep everything else local. You get syncing where it helps, and nothing large or regenerable ends up in iCloud by accident.
How the app does it
Wombit is a native Mac app that shows what's using your storage and explains every item in plain language. It scans the whole disk or any folder, reading only names, sizes and dates. File names and paths never leave your Mac.
With Desktop & Documents Folders on, your Desktop and Documents live inside iCloud Drive's folder, and the map shows them there, with the space their downloaded files take. The folder is explained from the catalog's iCloud Drive entry: what it holds, why deleting there deletes everywhere, and how Remove Download and Optimize Mac Storage free space instead.
It's Usually safe: the files come back, but only by downloading them again. The app never removes iCloud Drive files; cloud sync folders and everything in them are on the list of places it doesn't touch.
~/
Library/ Mobile Documents The iCloud Drive files that are downloaded to this Mac, including the iCloud folders that apps use.
Usually safe · Explained only: the app shows you how
macOS keeps iCloud Drive private until you allow an app to read it. With Full Disk Access, the scan measures it; without it, the app lists the folder as one it couldn't read rather than guessing.
The scan, the map and the explanations are free. Cleanup, the Apple Data actions and the uninstaller are PRO: one payment of $4.99 with lifetime access. Every Pro tool's review is free to open.
Frequently asked questions
What happens when I turn on Desktop & Documents Folders?
Your Desktop and Documents folders move into iCloud Drive, and the files in them become available on your other devices and iCloud.com. New files you save there are stored in iCloud too, and they all count toward your iCloud storage.
Does iCloud Desktop and Documents save space on my Mac?
Only with Optimize Mac Storage turned on, and only when your Mac needs space. Then macOS keeps older files in iCloud and removes their downloaded copies, while recent files stay. With Optimize off, every file stays on the Mac and also uses iCloud storage.
Where did my Desktop files go after I turned off iCloud Desktop and Documents?
They're still in iCloud Drive, in folders named Desktop and Documents. Apple says turning the setting off leaves your files there and creates new, empty Desktop and Documents folders in your home folder. Drag the files you want back to the new folders.
Will turning off Desktop & Documents delete my files?
No. Your files stay in iCloud Drive, on your other devices and on iCloud.com. Only new files change: they're saved to the new local folders on your Mac from then on.
What happens if I use Desktop & Documents on two Macs?
Both Macs' files end up in iCloud Drive. Apple says files from a second Mac's Desktop appear in the Desktop folder in iCloud Drive, in a folder with the same name as that Mac. Turn the setting on or off on each Mac separately.
Can I keep my Photos library in Documents with iCloud Desktop and Documents on?
It won't sync. Apple says iCloud Drive doesn't upload Photos, iMovie or Aperture libraries from your Desktop and Documents folders, and Finder labels them Ineligible. Apple also advises against keeping a Photos library on a cloud-based storage service, so keep it in your Pictures folder or on an external drive.
Can I use Dropbox or OneDrive for my Desktop and Documents instead of iCloud?
Yes, but not both at once. Apple says another app or cloud service syncing those folders can interfere with iCloud Drive or stop it updating. Turn off Desktop & Documents Folders and move your files back before turning on another service's folder sync.
Sources
- Add your Desktop and Documents files to iCloud Drive · Apple
- Turn off Desktop & Documents Folders on your Mac · Apple
- Store files in iCloud Drive on Mac · Apple
- Check your iCloud Drive file and folder status on Mac · Apple
- Work with folders and files in iCloud Drive on Mac · Apple
- Move your Photos library to save space on your Mac · Apple