Considering buying a second iMac for different location

I have been a long time Mac user but never used iCloud. I just recently started using it and I have not experienced the problems you mentioned. Plus it is fairly cheap if you need to upgrade to iCloud+ and you get an extra email address with 3 email aliases.

If you don't want iCloud you could try Dropbox I am pretty certain that will not sync all your apple apps behind the scenes without you doing anything but it can be used for storing and retrieving things from the cloud. I think the minimum plan is 2 TB of storage for $10 a month.

Learning to use iCloud can be a little difficult at first and you have to change your thinking about how you are changing and saving and deleting files. Here is a good video on YouTube Macmost - How iCloud Works With Your Files

I have been a long time Mac user but never used iCloud. I just recently started using it and I have not experienced the problems you mentioned. Plus it is fairly cheap if you need to upgrade to iCloud+ and you get an extra email address with 3 email aliases.

If you don't want iCloud you could try Dropbox I am pretty certain that will not sync all your apple apps behind the scenes without you doing anything but it can be used for storing and retrieving things from the cloud. I think the minimum plan is 2 TB of storage for $10 a month.

Based on the issues that you had with iCloud that would indicate there is problem on your setup. That needs to be fixed which can likely be easily done by calling AppleCare. ( AppleCare Contact Info )

What I would recommend is to turn iCloud back on and wait until you have the problem you described ( Files sometimes duplicate or even disappear altogether. ) and then call AppleCare and they can then with your permission log into your system to take a look to begin troubleshooting where the issue may be. That way you would:

A) have the problem fixed.

B) be able to save yourself a lot of $ (don't have to buy an expensive MBP)

C) streamline your workflow.

Some applications work better with cloud storage than others.

I use iCloud Drive and one drive extensively between my iMac, MacBook Air, iPad and iPhone and have very few problems.

If you're seeing duplicated files, missing files, etc. you may need to consider physically shutting down the machine you won't be using while you're away. Leaving it on means it will be trying to sync with the cloud storage continuously. That can cause bad things to happen to data files for applications that were never designed to use any kind of shared storage. Quickbooks has been problematic for many years. Not just with cloud storage, but any kind of shared network storage.

I use a Sandisk thumb drive. The one I use has both USB-A and USB-C ends.

Sandisk drive (Amazon)

Why not simply use iCloud and store your data there? That would eliminate any needs to airdrop stuff back and forth and your data would be available from your devices. I did just that tonight, I use my iMac when I'm at home however when I travel I got an iPad to use. I have a file I will need to e-mail when I'm going to be out of town August 15th, I created the file this evening then stored it in my iCloud account. So when the 15th comes up, I can compose my e-mail on my iPad attach the file which is now stored in the cloud and presto no problems. I do this all the time when I travel. Much much easier to do.

I also use iCloud for syncing all my photos too. I have lots of astrophotography pictures I've shot and store them in the Photos app. So when I'm out somewhere and want to show someone one of these pictures I just open the Photos app, navigate to the appropriate album and there is the photo(s) I want to show. I wouldn't be able to do this without cloud storage.

I regularly use iCloud Drive to share data from my Mac at home and my Windows machine at work (as well as to my iPad and iPhone). Although there are things about the interface I dislike, it works fine for me. I've never had a problem with duplicate files.

Google Drive has a better interface but then you're dealing with Google/Alphabet which is a whole other can of worms.

If you decide to use removable storage like a thumb drive to move the files back and forth, do NOT actively work with the files stored on the thumb drive. Move/copy them to the hard drive on the Mac, them copy them back to the thumb drive to transfer them to the other machine.

Thumb drives are prone to failure and data loss. They should not be used as working storage. Ever.

KiltedTim wrote:

Thumb drives are prone to failure and data loss.

To date, I haven't had a problem. But I never buy cheap, off brand ones. Sandisk has been reliable. I only ever use them for transport. No, that's wrong. I sometimes run presentations off of them. But no read/write. Now that they are as big as they are, they fill that need nicely and are much easier to deal with than even a small external drive.

Consider either of these options:

! - OWC Envoy Pro MINI

or

2 - if budget is a concern:

Also for the 2nd mac give this some serious consideration: a 10 Core Mac Mini M4 with 16 GB RAM and 1 TB SSD ($999 + tax) with a 27" LG 4k monitor ($250 + tax from Amazon.com)  is $1249 + tax which is $560 less than a similarly configured new 24" iMac ($1799 + tax)  re 07/2025.   

You can order additional RAM (24 or 32 GB) and SSDs up to 2 TB. All about $500 or more less than an iMac or Mac Studio with Studio monitor. I get the above Mac Mini M4 with a 32" LG 4K monitor w/speakers for $648 less than a similarly configured 24" iMac.

Just some food for thought.

"iCloud hasn't been a good option for me in the past."

Why?