Why is iCloud taking up so much space on my hard drive?
iCloud Drive automatically appears on any Apple device running the latest software. Apple will automatically save files within your desktop and documents to the iCloud, meaning these files are accessible no matter where you are. While it is very useful, it completely eats up your iCloud storage space.
How do I free up space on my iCloud drive?
You can free up storage in iCloud by deleting content that you’re not using:
- Reduce the size of your iCloud Backup.
- Delete photos in iCloud Photos.
- Delete folders or files in iCloud Drive.
- Delete texts and attachments in Messages.
- Delete messages and manage Mail.
- Delete voice memos.
What does deleting a backup do?
If you delete iCloud backup, your photos, messages, and other app data will be permanently removed. Your music files, movies, and the apps themselves are not in iCloud backups.
Why does my iCloud Drive take up so much space?
When you turn on iCloud Drive on your Mac or install it on your PC, and enable iCloud Photo Library in Photo Settings, then the photos and videos will be downloaded to your computer . All the full-resolution images will be also stored on your computer. This gets your iCloud Drive taking up too much storage of the local drive on your Mac and PC.
How do I get rid of iCloud storage on my Mac?
You can also control those settings directly within each app. If you’re using macOS Catalina or later, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Apple ID, then select iCloud in the sidebar: Store in iCloud turns on the Optimize Mac Storage setting on the right. To turn off iCloud Drive entirely, deselect iCloud Drive.
Why are so many files stored in iCloud?
The level to which the files are chosen for optimization is linked to how much free space you have on your Mac. If you have very little free space, many older files synced with iCloud drive will be offloaded from your computer, safely stored in iCloud.
How can I add more files to iCloud?
And as long as you have enough space in iCloud and on your device, you can store as many files as you like. If you need more space on your device, iCloud Drive can help. On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Preferences. Click Apple ID, then click iCloud.