iCloud Question

[sonicparticle]

iCloud question:

Everytime I copy a folder from my Mac Pro (not from an iPhone or iPad) to iCloud it makes a copy to the "Mobile Documents" folder inside Home->Library. That means, that there is a folder on a drive, a duplicate of said folder in Home->Library ->Mobile Documents and finally the copy on iCloud. I find this a waste of local space and I am thinking I might be doing something wrong as this does not make a lot of sense.

If I am indeed doing something wrong, could someone please point out what that may be?

If not, could a user:

1. Copy a folder straight to the "iCloud" bypassing completely the local storage of Home -> Library -> Mobile Documents?

2. Symlink a different folder/ hard drive as the Mobile Documents folder?

 

[mk313]

I have no idea what a symlink is so someone else will have to help you on that one, but I did try #1 & it did create a file in the Mobile Documents folder

 

[Apple_Robert]

I copy folders to iCloud Drive all the time and don't have a Mobile Documents folder (with copies) that I have seen.

 

[sonicparticle]

~/Library/Mobile Documents is your iCloud sync directory. Delete what's in there and you wipe out your iCloud on your next sync.

I copy folders to iCloud Drive all the time and don't have a Mobile Documents folder (with copies) that I have seen.

 

[chown33]

Which version of macOS does this happen on?

It could be that things have changed over time, so people who don't see this are using a later OS version that does things differently.

 

[netdog]

~/Library/Mobile Documents is your iCloud sync directory. Delete what's in there and you wipe out your iCloud on your next sync.

I don't believe that you do then wipe out what is on iCloud. I had the problem where iCloud (2TB) kept filling my MBP drive (512GB) so that I couldn't do system updates. AppleCare helped me to delete Mobile Documents so that I could free up space. I actually came here to see if I could get those directions again.