iCloud Drive on Mac never fully syncs

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Level 2

156 points

iCloud Drive on Mac never fully syncs

I have a 2TB iCloud Drive and use it on my Mac with a 2TB hard drive for the past few years. iCloud Drive set to automatically save drive space. The problem is the iCloud Drive never fully syncs, it's always syncing something. Yesterday, it said it had to upload 35,000 items to sync. Today, it says it has to upload more than 141,000 (where all these files came from I don't know, there was nothing installed or updated and I sure didn't create them since all I've done it watch YouTube and Netflix and browse a few internet sites). iCloud sync has never ever fully completed, not in years, and has never stopped trying to sync. If I want to have a file, like a photo or document, available system wide (also on my iPhone, for example) I have to allow days, sometimes weeks or months. I also have Dropbox with the same settings and it syncs in a matter of seconds.

What gives, Apple? How do I get my files synced and backed up? You just raised the price for the One Pass and I don't feel like I'm getting what I paid for.

Mac mini, macOS 12.6

Posted on Dec 12, 2022 6:03 AM

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Answer 1

Chris_V89

Community Specialist

Dec 14, 2022 1:10 PM in response to Peter Deep1

Hey there Peter Deep1,

Thanks for reaching out to the Apple Support Communities. If having issues with iCloud Drive not updating as expected, give the steps listed in the following resource a try that can help: Access iCloud Drive files from your iPhone and other devices - Apple Support

If your files don't update to iCloud Drive

Check these things first:

- Make sure that you have enough iCloud storage. If you need more space in iCloud, you can buy more iCloud storage or free up space by deleting content.

- Sign in to iCloud on all of your devices and turn on iCloud Drive.

- Make sure that you have an active Internet connection on your Mac and on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

- Install the latest versions of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote.

- Create a new document and save it to see if it uploads to iCloud. If it does, see if your other documents start uploading.

If you tried these steps and your files still don’t upload to iCloud, stay signed in to iCloud and save your updated files to a different folder on your Mac or PC. Then contact Apple Support for more help.

If still running into issues after going through the steps above, the next best option would be to reach out to Apple Support using the 'contact Apple Support' link above, or this link here: Get Support - Apple

We hope that's able to help.

Take care!

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Answer 2

Peter Deep1 Author

Level 2

156 points

Dec 15, 2022 10:50 PM in response to Chris_V89

I spoke on the phone to Apple Support about this issue. The technician (I wish I could remember her name) was very thorough and knowledgeable. After spending a lot of time looking at things, she recommended erasing my hard drive and starting over, which I was reluctant to do of course, but at least I had a Time Machine backup to restore everything. She promised me I'd be very pleased with the results and that my Mac (older Mini 2014) would be a lot faster and well-behaved. She was right. The Mini is much faster and more responsive and the iCloud sync issue was resolved and all in all I couldn't be happier (unless I had a brand new Mini of course!)

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Answer 3

dawngreg08

Community Specialist

Dec 16, 2022 8:21 AM in response to Peter Deep1

Hello Peter Deep1,

We're happy to hear that the issue has been resolved.

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.

Take care!

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iCloud Drive on Mac never fully syncs

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