iCloud Drive taking up space on a Mac is how iCloud Drive is meant to work: unless you change a setting, your Mac keeps a downloaded copy of the files in it. Apple's own words are that if space isn't needed, the full contents of iCloud Drive remain on your Mac.
Optimize Mac Storage changes that. With it on, macOS can remove the downloaded copies of older files when your Mac needs space, and keep them only in iCloud until you open them. It acts when space is needed, not the moment you turn it on, which is why it can look as if it isn't working.
To free space today, use Remove Download in Finder. The file stays in iCloud and on your other devices; only this Mac's copy goes, and it downloads again when you open it.
Don't Delete files to make room. Deleting a file in iCloud Drive deletes it from iCloud and from every device that uses iCloud Drive, and it's an easy way to lose work while freeing space.
Why iCloud Drive takes up space on your Mac
iCloud Drive is both a place in iCloud and a folder on your Mac. The two stay in step, and by default the Mac's side holds a downloaded copy of each file, so you can open it instantly and without a connection.
Does iCloud Drive use space on your Mac?
Yes, for every file that's downloaded. A file marked as in iCloud only takes almost no room; a downloaded one takes its full size, just like a file anywhere else on the disk. Turning on iCloud Drive doesn't make files lighter. Optimize Mac Storage, or removing downloads by hand, does.
What's inside iCloud Drive?
Apple describes three kinds of content. There are folders created automatically for apps that support iCloud Drive, such as Preview, TextEdit, Pages, Numbers and Keynote. There are the folders and files you've created or moved there yourself. And, if you've turned it on, there are your Desktop and Documents folders.
On disk, iCloud Drive's files live in ~/, with a folder for each app that stores files in iCloud. Finder shows the same files under iCloud Drive in its sidebar, and that's the only place to manage them. The bird process that syncs them keeps folders of its own; leave those to macOS.
What are the app folders in iCloud Drive?
Apps that support iCloud Drive get a folder of their own, named after the app, such as Pages or Preview. Each one can hold folders and the kinds of file its app opens: the Preview folder takes PDFs and images, but not a movie. In iCloud's Drive settings, you can choose which apps store data in iCloud Drive.
An app folder's files work like any others in iCloud Drive: downloaded ones take space, and Remove Download frees it. Before you stop an app storing data in iCloud Drive, open its folder and check what it keeps there.
How do you see how much space iCloud Drive uses?
Open System Settings, click General, then Storage. The iCloud Drive category counts the iCloud Drive files on your Mac, including your Desktop and Documents folders if they're stored there. In macOS 26 Tahoe it works the same way.
Before macOS Ventura, the same view was under Apple menu › About This Mac › Storage.
Is iCloud Drive part of System Data?
No. Storage settings gives iCloud Drive its own category, so its downloaded files don't hide in System Data. If System Data is the large figure on your Mac, look elsewhere; if iCloud Drive is, the rest of this post applies.
How do you see which files are downloaded?
Finder can show each file's state. Click iCloud Drive in the sidebar, choose View › as List, then View › Show View Options, and select iCloud Status. A new column shows a status icon for each item.
| Status | What it means | Takes space on this Mac? |
|---|---|---|
| In iCloud | Stored only in iCloud; downloads when you open it | No |
| Downloaded | Up to date here and in iCloud | Yes |
| Keep Downloaded | Stays downloaded even when space is needed | Yes, always |
| Waiting to Upload | Not in iCloud yet | Yes, and it can't be optimized |
| Out of Space | Can't be stored in iCloud: your iCloud storage is full | Yes, and it can't be optimized |
| Ineligible | Can't be stored in iCloud, usually over the 50 GB limit | Yes |
Downloaded items show no icon unless the column is on, which is why a folder of downloaded files can look exactly like any other folder. Click the Size column heading to sort by size. If a folder's size is blank, select it and choose File › Get Info to see how much it holds.
iCloud Drive's Optimize Mac Storage, explained
Optimize Mac Storage is the setting that lets macOS manage iCloud Drive's footprint for you. You turn it on in iCloud's Drive settings, or through Store in iCloud in Storage settings.
How do you turn on Optimize Mac Storage for iCloud Drive?
- Open System Settings and click your name at the top of the sidebar.
- Click iCloud, then click Drive.
- Make sure iCloud Drive is on, then turn on Optimize Mac Storage.
- Click Done.
The steps are the same in macOS 27 Golden Gate and macOS 26 Tahoe. Storage settings' Store in iCloud recommendation turns on Optimize Mac Storage as part of a larger change: it also stores your Desktop and Documents folders in iCloud Drive, your photos in iCloud Photos and your messages in iCloud.
What does Optimize Mac Storage actually do?
When space is needed, macOS stores older documents in iCloud and removes their downloaded copies from the Mac. They stay in iCloud Drive, show a cloud icon, and download again when you open them. Apple says recent files always stay on your Mac.
When space isn't needed, it does nothing. Apple puts it plainly: if space is not needed, the full contents of iCloud Drive remain on your Mac. A Mac with plenty of free space can have Optimize Mac Storage on and still hold every file.
Why didn't your free space change?
Because the space only comes back when something needs it. Until then, macOS counts the downloaded copies it's allowed to remove as purgeable: in use, but available on request. Finder adds purgeable space to the available figure, so the space can look free before it really is.
That gap matters when you start something large, such as a macOS update or a video export, which may check for truly free space first. The guide to purgeable space explains what to do when Finder says there's room and an install says there isn't.
Which files does it remove first?
Apple describes the files it stores in iCloud as older documents, and says your Mac keeps the recently opened ones. It doesn't publish exactly how it chooses, or how much it removes at a time. Expect files you haven't opened in a while to go first, and files you use every week to stay.
Keep Downloaded: exceptions you choose
Some files should never wait for a download: the folder you work from every day, or documents you need on a plane. Control-click them in iCloud Drive and choose Keep Downloaded. They stay on the Mac even when space is needed, and show a Keep Downloaded icon.
To undo it, Control-click the item and choose Keep Downloaded again, so the checkmark disappears. Apple's guides describe Keep Downloaded from macOS Sequoia onward.
| Optimize Mac Storage off | Optimize Mac Storage on | |
|---|---|---|
| What stays on the Mac | Every file in iCloud Drive | Recent files; older ones when space allows |
| When space runs low | Nothing changes | macOS removes older files' downloads |
| Opening an older file | Opens from the Mac | May download first, which needs a connection |
| Space it can free by itself | None | Downloaded copies of older files |
Free up space now with Remove Download
Optimize Mac Storage works on macOS's schedule. Remove Download works on yours: it removes this Mac's copy of the items you choose, right away, and leaves them in iCloud.
How do you remove downloads in Finder?
- Open a Finder window and click iCloud Drive in the sidebar.
- Find the files or folders you don't need on this Mac. In list view, click the Size column heading to put the largest first.
- Control-click them and choose Remove Download.
The items stay in iCloud Drive with a cloud icon. They're still listed in Finder, still on your iPhone and iPad, and still on iCloud.com. Open one and it downloads again.
What's the difference between Remove Download, Delete and moving a file out?
These three look alike in Finder and do completely different things. Only one of them keeps the file everywhere.
| What you do | On this Mac | In iCloud and other devices |
|---|---|---|
| Remove Download | The copy is removed; a cloud icon remains | Kept |
| Move to Trash or Delete | Gone after the Trash empties | Deleted everywhere |
| Drag it out of iCloud Drive to another folder | Kept, as an ordinary local file | Removed from iCloud Drive on all your devices |
| Keep Downloaded | Always kept | Kept |
How do you get a removed download back?
Open the file, and it downloads by itself. To download several items before going offline, Control-click them in iCloud Drive and choose Download Now. Once they're on the Mac, you can work with them without an internet connection.
What should you remove first?
Large files you don't need offline give the most for the least. Good candidates are finished projects you keep for reference, videos and disk images stored in iCloud Drive, and folders of exports you'll only open again if someone asks.
Leave alone what you open every day, and anything still waiting to upload: until it reaches iCloud, the copy on your Mac is the only one.
Which fix fits your situation?
What frees space depends on why iCloud Drive is large on your Mac. Most cases fall into one of these rows.
| What you see | Likely reason | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Large iCloud Drive category, plenty of iCloud storage | Optimize Mac Storage is off | Turn it on, then Remove Download on large folders |
| Optimize is on, but the Mac still holds everything | Your Mac hasn't needed the space yet | Remove Download for what you need now |
| Out of Space icons in Finder | iCloud storage is full | Free iCloud storage or choose a larger plan |
| Ineligible icons | Files or folders over the 50 GB limit | Move them to an external drive |
| An iCloud Drive (Archive) folder in your home folder | A local copy kept when iCloud Drive was turned off | Check it against iCloud Drive, then decide |
| A large Desktop or Documents folder | Desktop & Documents Folders is on | Remove Download on finished work |
A worked example
Say Storage settings shows iCloud Drive at 80 GB on a Mac with 30 GB free, and you need 40 GB for a macOS update. Optimize Mac Storage is on, but the update still says there isn't enough room.
macOS would remove older downloads when space is needed, but an installer can check for free space before that happens. Rather than wait, open iCloud Drive in Finder, switch to list view, and sort by size. Remove Download on two finished project folders of 15 GB each, and the space is free at once.
The files are still in iCloud Drive, with cloud icons, on every device. When you open one again, it downloads, and the next time space is short, macOS can remove it again by itself.
What if your Mac has little space and iCloud has none either?
Then the settings that move files to iCloud can't help, and something has to give. Copy large files you rarely need to an external drive, check that the copies open, then remove them from iCloud Drive. That frees both iCloud storage and the Mac's copy.
Or choose a larger iCloud plan. Either way, check for old iPhone and iPad backups in iCloud's Manage list first, because they can take room you didn't know about.
Desktop and Documents in iCloud Drive
Desktop & Documents Folders is a separate switch in the same Drive settings. With it on, your Desktop and Documents folders move into iCloud Drive, and they appear in the iCloud section of Finder's sidebar and in the Files app on your iPhone or iPad.
How does it change your Mac's storage?
The two folders become part of iCloud Drive, so Storage settings counts them under iCloud Drive, and Optimize Mac Storage applies to them. With Optimize on, your Desktop can show files whose contents are only in iCloud, which download when you open them.
Without Optimize Mac Storage, nothing is saved on the Mac. Every file stays downloaded, and you've added the two folders to your iCloud storage as well.
What happens when you turn it off?
Apple describes it exactly. 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. To bring files back to the Mac, select them in iCloud Drive and drag them where you want to keep them.
Turning it off frees no space on its own, and it can confuse people who expect their files to reappear on the Desktop. They're in iCloud Drive, in folders named Desktop and Documents.
Can you use another sync service for these folders?
Apple warns against it. If another app or cloud service also syncs your Desktop or Documents folder, it can interfere with iCloud Drive or stop it updating. Choose one service for those two folders and turn the other one off for them.
When your iCloud storage is full
iCloud Drive can only free space on your Mac by keeping files in iCloud instead. When iCloud has no room, that stops working, and files you add stay on the Mac whatever your settings say.
What happens to new files when iCloud is full?
If you can't move or save a document to iCloud Drive, Apple says your iCloud storage may be full. The document stays on your Mac and is uploaded when space becomes available. In Finder, it shows the Out of Space status, and a similar icon can appear next to iCloud Drive in the sidebar.
Until it's uploaded, Optimize Mac Storage can't remove it, because iCloud doesn't have it yet. For new files, a full iCloud quietly turns iCloud Drive into an ordinary folder on your Mac.
How do you see what's using your iCloud storage?
Open System Settings, click your name, click iCloud, then click Manage. The bar shows your total use by category, and clicking an app or feature shows what it stores. iCloud Drive shares the same storage with iCloud Photos, iPhone and iPad backups, Messages in iCloud and iCloud Mail.
Backups of old devices can be the easiest gigabytes to recover there. Apple warns that deleting the iCloud backup of a device you still use stops it backing up automatically, so remove only backups of devices you no longer have.
How much iCloud storage do you get?
Every Apple Account gets 5 GB free. iCloud+ plans offer 50 GB, 200 GB, 2 TB, 6 TB or 12 TB, and Apple lists the smallest at $0.99 a month in the United States; prices vary by country. More iCloud storage frees space on your Mac only where an optimize setting is on to use it.
How do you check whether iCloud Drive is syncing?
Hold the pointer over iCloud Drive in Finder's sidebar, then click the status or information icon that appears. A pie chart there shows the overall progress of files moving to and from iCloud, and an Out of Space icon means your iCloud storage is full.
Why won't a very large file upload?
iCloud Drive has a limit of 50 GB for a single file or folder. Anything larger shows the Ineligible status and isn't stored in iCloud, so it stays only on your Mac. Large disk images and video projects are typical cases; keep them on an external drive instead.
Deleting files in iCloud Drive
Sometimes deleting is what you want: the file is finished with, everywhere. iCloud Drive handles that differently from ordinary folders, and the differences decide whether you can change your mind.
What happens when you delete a file in iCloud Drive?
It's deleted from iCloud and from every device that uses iCloud Drive. On your Mac it goes to the Trash first. Items moved to the Trash from iCloud Drive are emptied from it automatically after 30 days, whatever your Finder settings say, and you can empty them sooner.
Storage settings doesn't count those items in its Trash category, so a Trash full of iCloud Drive files can look smaller than it is.
Deletes in iCloud Photos reach every device too, as the post on deleting photos from your Mac but not iCloud explains.
Can you recover a deleted iCloud Drive file?
Within 30 days, yes, as long as you haven't removed it for good. On iCloud.com, open iCloud Drive and select Recently Deleted in the sidebar, then select files and click Recover, or Recover All.
Apple is clear about the exception: if you empty the Trash on your Mac, or permanently delete a file from Recently Deleted, you can't recover it. So empty the Trash only once you're sure. A Time Machine backup of your Mac may still have older copies of files that were downloaded.
How do you keep a file on the Mac but take it out of iCloud?
Drag it from iCloud Drive to a folder that isn't in iCloud Drive, such as Downloads or a folder in your home folder. Apple says it's copied to your Mac and removed from iCloud Drive on all your devices. It now uses your Mac's disk and none of your iCloud storage.
That's the right move for files you want on this Mac only, such as large work files you never open on your phone. It's the wrong move if you're trying to free space on the Mac.
| Goal | Do this | Don't do this |
|---|---|---|
| Free space on this Mac, keep the file | Remove Download | Delete |
| Free iCloud storage, keep the file on this Mac | Drag it out of iCloud Drive | Remove Download |
| Get rid of the file everywhere | Move it to the Trash from iCloud Drive | Remove Download, which keeps it in iCloud |
| Keep a file always available offline | Keep Downloaded | Copy it elsewhere and lose track of versions |
Turning off iCloud Drive and the Archive folder
Turning off iCloud Drive, or signing out of iCloud, looks like a way to make the space problem go away. It usually moves it somewhere else.
What happens when you turn off iCloud Drive?
New, empty Desktop and Documents folders are created in your home folder, as when you turn off Desktop & Documents Folders. Your files stay in iCloud. You can drag files from iCloud Drive to your Mac first, or choose to keep a local copy.
What is the iCloud Drive (Archive) folder?
If you keep a local copy when turning off iCloud Drive, macOS copies your iCloud Drive files to a folder called iCloud Drive (Archive) in your home folder. It's an ordinary folder of ordinary files, and it takes their full size on your disk.
On a Mac that has had iCloud turned off and on again, it's worth looking for. Open your home folder from the Go menu in Finder, select iCloud Drive (Archive) if it's there, and choose File › Get Info to see its size. Check that its files are in iCloud Drive, or elsewhere, before you remove anything from it.
Is turning off iCloud Drive a good way to save space?
Rarely. Either the files come down to the Mac in full, or they stay only in iCloud where you can't open them from Finder. Optimize Mac Storage and Remove Download get you the same space while keeping everything one click away.
What not to do
iCloud Drive's folder is in a known place, it's often large, and it looks like any other folder. These are the mistakes that turn freeing space into losing files.
| Don't | Why | Instead |
|---|---|---|
| Delete files in iCloud Drive to free Mac space | They're deleted everywhere | Remove Download |
Move or delete ~/Library/Mobile Documents | It holds iCloud Drive and every app's iCloud files | Manage files under iCloud Drive in Finder |
| Turn off iCloud Drive to shrink the Mac | Files come down in full, or become hard to reach | Turn on Optimize Mac Storage |
| Sync Desktop and Documents with two services | They can interfere and stop syncing | Use one service for those folders |
| Paste Terminal commands to "reset" iCloud's cache | Commands can delete data, with no undo | Use Finder and System Settings |
Why is the Mobile Documents folder off limits?
It's iCloud Drive's own folder on disk, the sync root itself. Everything in it is a file iCloud is keeping in step with your other devices, so anything you delete there is deleted in iCloud too. The catalog's iCloud Drive entry explains it, and cloud sync folders are on the list of places the app never removes.
Other cloud storage apps on your Mac
Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive and Box work on the same idea as iCloud Drive, under their own names. Apps that use macOS's File Provider keep their folders in ~/ and show them under Locations in Finder's sidebar.
How do you free space in Dropbox, OneDrive or Google Drive?
Each app has its own version of Remove Download, in the menu you get when you Control-click a file or folder in Finder:
- Dropbox: choose Make online-only. See Dropbox folder.
- OneDrive: choose Free up space. See OneDrive folder.
- Google Drive: turn off Offline access › Available offline for folders you don't need offline. See Google Drive folder.
As with iCloud Drive, deleting a file in one of these folders usually deletes it from the cloud too. Use the app's option to remove the download, never Delete.
Do several cloud services double the space?
They can, if the same files are synced by two services. A folder kept in both iCloud Drive and Dropbox, for example, has a downloaded copy in each. Pick one home for each set of files.
- iCloud Drive and other cloud folders5–100 GB · Usually safe
- Photos library10–500 GB · Managed by macOS
- Messages attachments5–100 GB · Review first
Typical ranges on Macs that have these items at all, from the research behind the app's catalog. How much iCloud keeps off the Mac depends on Optimize Mac Storage and on how much room iCloud has.
Keep iCloud Drive in check
iCloud Drive grows with everything you save there, and on Macs with Desktop & Documents Folders on, that's most of what you save. A few habits keep it from crowding the disk.
- Turn on Optimize Mac Storage once, and leave it on.
- Use Keep Downloaded only for folders you truly need offline.
- After finishing a project, Control-click its folder and choose Remove Download.
- Watch for Out of Space icons: they mean iCloud is full and nothing is being optimized.
- Look in your home folder for an old iCloud Drive (Archive) folder.
- Keep very large files, over the 50 GB limit or close to it, on an external drive.
Does iCloud Drive replace a backup?
No. iCloud Drive keeps files in step: a delete or a damaged file on one device reaches all of them. Keep a separate backup, such as Time Machine, of anything that matters. Time Machine can only back up what's on the Mac, so files that exist only in iCloud aren't in it.
Where else does the space go?
If iCloud Drive is small and your disk is still full, Photos and Messages are the other two places iCloud can help with. See what's really in the Photos library and how to trim Messages attachments.
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.
iCloud Drive's folder appears on the map with the space its downloaded files take, 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 the space instead.
It's Usually safe: the files come back, but only by downloading them again. The app never removes iCloud Drive files, or anything in Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive or Box; cloud sync folders and everything in them are on the list of places it doesn't touch. It explains each service's own way to remove the download.
~/
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
~/
Library/ CloudStorage/ * A folder that a cloud storage app keeps in CloudStorage, with the files it has downloaded to this Mac.
Usually safe · Explained only: the app shows you how
~/
Library/ CloudStorage/ Dropbox* Your Dropbox folder, with the Dropbox files that are downloaded to this Mac.
Usually safe · Explained only: the app shows you how
macOS keeps iCloud Drive and other cloud folders private until you allow an app to read them. With Full Disk Access, the scan measures them; without it, the app lists them as folders it skipped rather than guessing.
The scan, the map, the explanations, the space meter and System Data explained 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, so you see what would go and why before you buy.
Frequently asked questions
Why is iCloud Drive using so much space on my Mac?
By default, your Mac keeps a downloaded copy of every file in iCloud Drive. Optimize Mac Storage lets macOS remove copies of older files, but only when your Mac needs the space. To free space right away, Control-click files in iCloud Drive and choose Remove Download.
How do I remove iCloud Drive files from my Mac without deleting them from iCloud?
In Finder, click iCloud Drive in the sidebar, Control-click the files or folders and choose Remove Download. They stay in iCloud and on your other devices, show a cloud icon, and download again when you open them.
Does Optimize Mac Storage delete my files?
No. It removes only the downloaded copies of older files on this Mac, and keeps the files in iCloud Drive. They're still listed in Finder and download again when you open them, which needs an internet connection.
Why isn't Optimize Mac Storage freeing up space?
It acts only when your Mac needs space; until then, Apple says the full contents of iCloud Drive stay on your Mac. It also can't remove files that haven't uploaded, which happens when your iCloud storage is full.
If I delete a file from iCloud Drive on my Mac, is it deleted on my iPhone?
Yes. Deleting a file in iCloud Drive deletes it from iCloud and every device that uses iCloud Drive. You can recover it within 30 days from Recently Deleted in iCloud Drive on iCloud.com.
Can I turn off iCloud Drive without losing my files?
Yes. Your files stay in iCloud, and you can choose to keep a local copy, which macOS puts in a folder called iCloud Drive (Archive) in your home folder. That copy takes its full size on your Mac.
Is it safe to delete the Mobile Documents folder on a Mac?
No. ~/Library/Mobile Documents is iCloud Drive's own folder, and deleting things in it deletes them from iCloud and your other devices. Manage iCloud Drive files in Finder, and use Remove Download to free space.