iCloud drive still costs MBP real estate

[mikebxb]

have Macbook Pro and running out space so a ring for $9.99 per month iCloud drive storage.
Only to find out Macbook keeps a lot of the files "imaged" on the hard drive in a directory called Mobile Documents !!!! WTH? The Apple Mac software never fails to confuse people and obfuscate whats going on under the hood... Your Thoughts welcome.

 

[SDColorado]

My thoughts are that iCloud is primarily a synced drive, rather than an external storage drive, that allows you to sync documents and photos across all compatible devices.

For strict storage, there are likely better options, cloud storage, and external disks, if syncing with the Apple productivity apps isn't a chief concern.

But if you are running short on disk space, go to Preferences > iCloud > iCloud Drive > Options and select "Optimize Mac Storage" This will allow your Mac to purge older documents from your local drive as space is needed.

Also, click your hard drive and choose "Manage Storage." Choose the Store in iCloud, Optimize Storage and Empty Trash options to help free space.

 

[bartvk]

I had a MacBook Air with a 128 GB drive, and was always futzing around because it would fill up for various reasons. In the end, I sold it and bought a new laptop with a bigger drive.

Think about it; these devices really keep their value. Over its lifetime, I paid maybe $180 per year for this laptop. It might be a much better idea to simply sell, and get a new laptop with big drive. Because personally, I like to keep absolute control over my files and iCloud is a hands-off approach.