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User profile for user: Chris Bunch
Chris Bunch Author
User level: Level 1
135 points

iCloud Drive greyed-out folders and files

I am trying to rationalize the iCloud drive folder on my Mac. It has a large number of greyed-out items (folders and files) many of which relate to apps I no longer use. They cannot be deleted or corralled into a folder, and they do not appear in my iCloud Drive as accessed via a browser. How can I get rid of this unhelpful and largely historical clutter on my Mac?


This topic has been raised several time in the past but no satisfactory solution has been proposed.


Chris

________________________





MacBook Pro Apple Silicon

Posted on Aug 6, 2022 11:55 PM

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User profile for user: Chris Bunch
Chris Bunch Author
User level: Level 1
135 points

Posted on Aug 7, 2022 9:09 AM

I have just had a lengthy but very helpful phone call with Apple Support (Ireland), the conclusion of which is that I am seeing greyed-out folders and files because these are hidden files and somehow I had invoked "show hidden files". This Finder feature is toggled by the key combo Shift-Cmd-[.] (dot, period).


These hidden folders and files are meant to be there, even if they relate to apps or material I no longer use on any of my devices. Deleting them (which we found is possible in safe mode) may apparently adversely affect device functioning in unpredictable ways. So best to keep them hidden, or learn to live with them. Occasionally, it is helpful to see certain hidden folders (e.g. ~/.ssh and ~/Library) and their contents. Unfortunately the Shift-Cmd-[.] toggle cannot be applied to folders selectively: it is all or none.

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User profile for user: Chris Bunch
Chris Bunch Author
User level: Level 1
135 points

Aug 7, 2022 9:09 AM in response to Chris Bunch

I have just had a lengthy but very helpful phone call with Apple Support (Ireland), the conclusion of which is that I am seeing greyed-out folders and files because these are hidden files and somehow I had invoked "show hidden files". This Finder feature is toggled by the key combo Shift-Cmd-[.] (dot, period).


These hidden folders and files are meant to be there, even if they relate to apps or material I no longer use on any of my devices. Deleting them (which we found is possible in safe mode) may apparently adversely affect device functioning in unpredictable ways. So best to keep them hidden, or learn to live with them. Occasionally, it is helpful to see certain hidden folders (e.g. ~/.ssh and ~/Library) and their contents. Unfortunately the Shift-Cmd-[.] toggle cannot be applied to folders selectively: it is all or none.

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iCloud Drive greyed-out folders and files

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