iCloud Drive is very useful if you want to upload stuff to iCloud and manage its content with ease. Naturally, it’s a folder on your device, so it will eat up space. The more stuff you have in iCloud Drive, the more space will be occupied on your device, and that’s what matters the most. What you have to focus on is narrowing down on how much space you can afford to waste, and if you lack space, then you need to figure out the right way to clear that fast.
You can access iCloud Drive from the sidebar of any Finder window, in the iCloud section, more specifically. That’s great because it allows you to access all the files you want, and you can fully manage them. Of course, knowing how to clear space on iCloud Drive is crucial, and we are here to help with that.
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Why is the storage full if you use iCloud Drive?
iCloud Drive syncs with iCloud, and due to that, you will have access to the iCloud files on your device. That might be convenient in some cases, but it will lead to certain inconveniences as well. The more stuff you have on iCloud, the harder it will be to save space on your device, since it all syncs.
And on top of that, iCloud will also cache some files for faster access. In addition, you have to consider file versioning, which can prove to be another challenge as well. And there’s also the optimised storage feature, where Mac OS will offload files from Mac to iCloud Drive. All of these can be factors influencing the lack of storage you are experiencing at this time.
Use a Mac cleanup tool
If you are low on space right now, using a Mac cleanup tool is the best way to solve this issue. And that’s the thing, a cleanup tool will remove all the unwanted and unnecessary files right away, without much of a hassle. It’s very useful to rely on such a tool, since all you need to do is press a button. Then the tool will automatically identify files that can be removed, such as temporary files, duplicates and so on.
Enable the optimised storage feature
Optimised storage is a great option because it will allow you to store the full contents of iCloud on your iCloud Drive app if you have enough space. If you are low on space, older files will be removed from your iCloud Drive app, and they are only kept in iCloud Drive in the cloud.
You can enable this by going to System Settings, selecting the Apple account in the sidebar and then clicking on iCloud. Now, you can choose Drive and click on Optimise Mac Storage. It’s handy to use this feature, and it will help you save quite a bit of space as well.
Delete files from iCloud Drive
Aside from that, you can also go to iCloud Drive and then remove any files you don’t need. Choose to move any of the unwanted items to the trash, and before you empty the trash, double-check to ensure you want to remove everything. That way, if you accidentally move something tothe trash, you still have a bit of time to get it back.
Turn off the desktop and documents option
Go to the System Settings/Apple Account/iCloud/iCloud Drive and turn off the Desktop and Documents feature. The reason you want to do that is that if you have it on, it will sync your Desktop and Documents folder with other devices and Macs. Sure, it could be handy if you have multiple Mac devices connected to the iCloud account. But the problem is that it can eat up a lot of space, and this approach helps you solve the issue.
See the Mac OS recommendations
You can go to System Settings/Apple Account/iCloud/ and then select Manage right near the Account Storage. The reason you want to do this is because it shows exactly what is eating up space in your iCloud Drive right now, and thus you have a much clearer picture on what you need to delete and save space.
It’s difficult to know exactly why your iCloud Drive takes a lot of space, but with these tips and ideas, it will be easier to save and reclaim some space. Using a Mac cleanup tool is the best approach here, because it helps you save quite a lot of time, it’s effective, reliable and easy to adapt to your requirements. That’s why we highly recommend checking it out, along with all the other tips that will help you save space on your Mac quickly and with great effectiveness. In the end, you’ll find it much easier to save time, and results will be very good!