Empty folders on iCloud not visible on iCloud.com and cannot be deleted

I have created a Smartfolder to identify empty folders which I would like to delete. Using the search criteria (Kind is 'Folder' PLUS Number of Items < 1 PLUS Name Matches 'Documents'), Finder lists 71 items whose Path commences with 'iCloud' (as shown in the Path Bar). These items are all empty, as expected. However, when I attempt to move one or more of these to the Bin, they disappear momentarily, then they re-appear again. I can't delete them. My iCloud Drive is actually empty, and this is consistent with looking at iCloud using both Finder on the Mac, and iCloud.com. So, I have 2 questions: (1) how does a Smartfolder find folders when Finder and iCloud.com cannot, AND (2) how can I delete these 'ghost' folders. I recognise the 2 questions are related. My environment is MacBook 2024 (M4 chip), 48GB RAM, OS 15.1.1.

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 15.1

Posted on Dec 15, 2024 7:06 PM

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4 replies

Dec 16, 2024 6:59 AM in response to Chislehurst

The folders I found seem to be folders associated with specific apps, inside folders like Microsoft User Data.

Here's a Pass2Wallet sub-folder that's empty, for instance.

I'm guessing that these are created automatically by background processes from these apps. You trash them, and the apps make new ones to be ready for whatever they do. Those things are everywhere.

A special app like Find Any File might find more of these-- some may be hidden folders that Finder avoids.

Does that match what you see?

Zurarczurx

Level 4

2,582 points

Dec 16, 2024 12:14 PM in response to Chislehurst

I've got iCloud folders I can't delete. There are two of them. They are empty. If I look in Finder/iCloud they are not there. If I look in iCloud on the web then they appear in the recently deleted. If I look in the bin on my Mac they are there. If I delete them from iCloud/Recently Deleted they disappear but come back after a few seconds. Same in the Bin, if I empty the bin or delete immediately they come back after a few seconds. I've reported it as a bug to Apple. I think it's new with 15.1.1 - I certainly didn't see it before.

Chislehurst Author

Level 1

10 points

Dec 16, 2024 11:57 AM in response to Richard.Taylor

That’s quite possible. The folder names that I can see appear to be system-generated, rather than anything I’ve created. Still puzzled as to why they are not visible under ‘normal’ viewing of iCloud.

Chislehurst Author

Level 1

10 points

Dec 16, 2024 1:32 PM in response to Zurarczurx

Yeah…. Same. I don’t feel so alone now!

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Empty folders on iCloud not visible on iCloud.com and cannot be deleted