Move documents from iCloud storage to Mac storage

Hello, if I search for particular documents it tells me that they are in icloud drive but I can't find them on my mac. I want to move them to my mac storage. I found numerous discussions which advised to turn off icloud and now documents on my mac is completely empty. I am hoping I have not lost everything. I have yet to find anything easy to do on a mac. Thank you for help.

iPhone 6, iOS 12

Posted on Apr 14, 2025 8:50 AM

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Apr 14, 2025 9:00 AM in response to Nomadibility

If you disable iCloud Drive and had used Desktop and Documents syncing, you create new folders when Desktop and Documents is disabled. Your old Desktop and old documents folders are now ion iCloud only. If you still have iCloud Drive enabled, simply drag/drop your files wherever you want from the iCloud Drive folder. Otherwise, you can download your files from iCloud.com.

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Apr 15, 2025 11:08 AM in response to Nomadibility

Nomadibility wrote: …, if I search for particular documents it tells me that they are in icloud drive but I can't find them on my mac.

If you have found a document, and it says it is in iCloud Drive, then you have found it on you Mac. iCloud Drive is the name of a folder on your Mac. It's a special folder that is copied to iCloud Drive.


If you have Optimize Storage turned on, and if your Mac's drive becomes crowded, then the Mac will delete a less used file from your iCloud Drive folder on you Mac to make room, and it leaves a link so you can get it when you want it. But if you don't have Optimize turned on, everything in your iCloud Drive folder is on your Mac.

I found numerous discussions which advised to turn off icloud

Why? Maybe these discussions were not from well-informed people.

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Move documents from iCloud storage to Mac storage

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