How to prevent iCloud drive from automatically downloading all files on MacBook Pro with limited storage?

I’m using a MacBook Pro M3 with limited local storage. I’ve enabled iCloud Drive to store my files in the cloud and have turned on “Optimize Mac Storage” to save space. However, I notice that iCloud Drive still downloads all iCloud files to my Mac’s local storage automatically, which consumes significant space.



I want to keep my files in iCloud Drive and copy them to my Mac only when I need them.

And can access iCloud in sidebar

Currently, I disabled the sync and i can access from web only which is a bad solution


Is there a way to prevent iCloud Drive from automatically downloading files to my Mac and instead have them remain solely in the cloud until I choose to access them?



Any guidance on how to configure iCloud Drive to avoid automatic downloads and save local storage would be appreciated.



[Re-Titled by Moderator]

MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 15.4

Posted on May 3, 2025 2:13 PM

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May 8, 2025 7:38 AM in response to Matti Haveri

Matti Haveri wrote:…I just wish I could easier en masse "Remove Download" because currently it seems that I must do that selectively to a smallish group of files or folders, and doing that to a folder does not recursively do it to all of its contents.

Matti, I don't think that I've been able to "Remove Download" with a folder, but I can select all the files in a folder and choose "Remove Download," and then the contents and the folder show the

in iCloud only icon. Contained folders have to be dealt with individually.


I think that Apple thinks of iCloud as a sharing platform much more than as a place to offload files, so storing files there may never be as easy as synchronizing files.

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May 3, 2025 9:47 PM in response to a7medmohamdy

In my setup if I "Remove Download" iCloud Drive file/folder, it remains just an almost zero byte placeholder until I open it.


I just wish I could easier en masse "Remove Download" because currently it seems that I must do that selectively to a smallish group of files or folders, and doing that to a folder does not recursively do it to all of its contents.

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May 9, 2025 9:23 AM in response to a7medmohamdy

Solved:

1- Toggle on Optimize Mac Storage

2- Wait until the download finishes, or try during the download (not always successful)

3- Choose "Remove Download" from the context menu

Thanks all for the help. I’ll monitor it for a while to see if the file downloads automatically again or not.

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How to prevent iCloud drive from automatically downloading all files on MacBook Pro with limited storage?

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