iCloud & iCloud Photos

Yes. Storage Studio works with iCloud Drive's folder on your Mac: it can make downloaded iCloud files online-only, find duplicates among them, and show how much space iCloud uses — without ever deleting anything from iCloud.

No. Storage Studio never asks for your Apple Account password. It works with the iCloud Drive folder macOS already keeps on your Mac, so once you're signed in to iCloud in System Settings, Storage Studio finds it automatically.

Tap Run Tuhi: its Keeping cloud files online-only step frees large downloaded iCloud files and reports the space saved. Use Free up in Storage Profile for one file, or Finder's Remove Download for a whole folder.

Files open in an app or still uploading are skipped on purpose, and Run Tuhi focuses on large files. Close your documents, let iCloud finish syncing, then use Remove Download in Finder for the rest.

Yes. Cancel from the progress window at any time. Files already made online-only stay safely in iCloud and the rest stay downloaded, so nothing is lost — you can run it again later to finish.

In Preferences → Rules → Free Up Space includes, switch on iCloud Drive under Optimise cloud storage locally. It's off by default and set per provider, and the section shows how much disk cloud files are using.

Yes. When cloud folders like iCloud Drive are on your Mac, Run Tuhi includes a Keeping cloud files online-only step that frees large downloaded files. Nothing is deleted — files stay in iCloud and download when opened.

Open Storage Profile from the More menu (•••): it measures iCloud and other synced folders alongside your Mac and external drive. Preferences → Rules also shows how much disk is caching cloud files, per provider.

No. iCloud syncing is done by macOS for files you keep in iCloud. Storage Studio only puts a file in iCloud Drive if you move it there yourself; its iCloud features — online-only, duplicates, measuring — run on your Mac.

A macOS rule: Storage Studio may free an iCloud file directly, but for Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive macOS limits other apps, so it opens Finder for the provider's own Remove Download. The result is the same — the file stays in the cloud.

Open Storage Profile from the More menu (•••) and check Connected cloud accounts: once analysed, it shows file types, recent use and how much is already online-only. It refreshes in the background and is cached for a day.

Yes. Storage Studio frees iCloud space only with online-only, never deletion; its rules skip iCloud folders; it won't move iCloud Drive or the Photos library; and duplicates you remove go to the Trash.

No. Storage Studio measures the space files actually use on disk, so online-only iCloud files never appear as space hogs. Downloaded iCloud files do count — and those are the ones Free up and Run Tuhi can free.

Files still waiting to upload stay on your Mac until iCloud has a safe copy, so you need a connection for those. Files already fully in iCloud can be freed straight away. Nothing is ever freed without a copy in iCloud.

Open Storage Profile from the More menu (•••): Biggest space-users lists the files really using your disk, including downloaded iCloud files, each with a Free up button that makes it online-only in one tap.

Yes. Rules never move iCloud files; the Free Up Space cloud step is off by default per provider; you can turn off Duplicates Auto-scan for iCloud Drive; and folders marked Keep Downloaded in Finder stay local.

Yes, if Auto-scan is on (the default) for the iCloud Drive source in the Duplicates window. Scans of your Mac's files wait for idle time, only downloaded iCloud files are compared, and Scan now runs one on demand.

Yes. Ask Tuhi things like "free space from iCloud" or "what does Optimize Mac Storage do?" and it explains and points you to the right place. It runs on your Mac; Run Tuhi's routine also frees large cloud files.

Yes. Storage Studio works with iCloud Drive's folder on your Mac through macOS itself, never signs in to your iCloud account, so Advanced Data Protection doesn't change what it can do.

Run Tuhi's summary reports what its cloud step freed, and Background Activity (Job Insights) records how much was freed by keeping cloud files online-only, with when it last ran and any problems.

Optimize Cloud Storage shows a confirmation first, and Free up acts only on the file you tap. Run Tuhi's cloud step runs as part of the one-tap routine — safe because online-only never deletes anything.

Nothing. Files Storage Studio made online-only are still in iCloud and download when opened, downloaded files stay put, and iCloud keeps syncing through macOS. Use the uninstall wizard for anything relocated to your fast drive.

Yes. macOS protects Desktop, Documents and the Library folder holding iCloud Drive, so Storage Studio needs Full Disk Access to measure and free them. It sees folders on your Mac, never your iCloud account.

Not as one set. The Duplicates window checks each source on its own — This Mac, iCloud Drive and each cloud account — so a copy in Downloads and another in iCloud Drive aren't grouped together.

An online-only file keeps its contents in iCloud while your Mac keeps just its name and details. It still shows in Finder with a cloud icon, uses almost no local space, and downloads automatically when you open it.

No. Online-only frees only the copy on your Mac; the file stays in iCloud in the same folder and downloads again when you open it. You just need an internet connection the first time you open it again.

No. An online-only file must download from iCloud before it opens. Before going offline, open the files you need or right-click a folder in Finder and choose Keep Downloaded so macOS keeps it on your Mac.

Right-click the folder in Finder and choose Keep Downloaded (on recent macOS). In Storage Studio, the automatic cloud step is opt-in per provider, so you can leave iCloud Drive switched off in Preferences → Rules.

A cloud icon in Finder means the file is online-only — stored in iCloud, not on your Mac. Opening it downloads it. A progress circle means it's syncing; no icon means it's downloaded and up to date.

Optimize Mac Storage lets macOS remove local copies of older iCloud Drive files when space runs low, keeping them in iCloud. Turn it on in System Settings → your name → iCloud → iCloud Drive.

Both make iCloud files online-only. macOS's Optimize Mac Storage frees older files automatically when space runs low; Storage Studio frees large downloaded cloud files when you ask, with Run Tuhi, and reports what it saved.

macOS only frees iCloud files when it decides space is needed, starting with older files, so turning it on frees nothing immediately. For space now, tap Run Tuhi in Storage Studio or use Finder's Remove Download.

Right-click the file or folder in iCloud Drive in Finder and choose Remove Download. It stays in iCloud and downloads again when opened. To free large files across all your cloud folders, tap Run Tuhi in Storage Studio.

Finder shows a file's full size in iCloud even when only a placeholder is on your Mac. Online-only files use almost no disk space, which is why Storage Studio measures the space files actually use on disk.

It's a shortcut in System Settings → General → Storage that turns on iCloud syncing for Desktop and Documents and Optimize Mac Storage, so older files stay in iCloud. It uses your iCloud plan and needs a connection for online-only files.

No. Online-only is per device: freeing a file's local copy on this Mac doesn't change it on your iPhone, iPad, other Macs or iCloud.com. Only deleting a file from iCloud Drive affects every device.

Open it and macOS downloads it, or right-click it in Finder and choose Download Now (Keep Downloaded keeps it local afterwards). Storage Studio's online-only steps never move or rename the file, so nothing else needs undoing.

On older macOS, an online-only iCloud file is shown on disk as a hidden placeholder ending in .icloud. It stands in for the real file until downloaded. Don't delete it — that can delete the file from iCloud.

In Finder, uploading files show a progress or cloud-with-arrow icon and iCloud Drive's sidebar entry shows a progress circle; when they disappear, the upload is done. You can also add an iCloud Status column in List view.

Your Mac downloads every file in iCloud Drive and keeps them locally, so it needs room for all of it. If you only need some folders offline, leave Optimize Mac Storage on and use Keep Downloaded for those folders instead.

No — macOS has no cap for iCloud Drive's local space; Optimize Mac Storage decides when to free files, usually when the disk gets full. Use Remove Download and Keep Downloaded per folder; Storage Studio can also help free iCloud files.

iCloud Drive is Apple's built-in file sync service. It appears in Finder's sidebar, keeps your files in iCloud across your devices, and can store them on your Mac or as online-only files that download when opened.

No. iCloud Drive syncs the same copy across your devices, so a deletion or overwrite spreads everywhere. Keep a separate backup too — Time Machine or Storage Studio's Data Backup, which keeps versions you can restore.

Look in your Mac's Trash first, then in Recently Deleted on iCloud.com, which keeps deleted iCloud Drive files for a limited time. Duplicates removed by Storage Studio also go to the Trash. Older losses need a backup.

Downloaded iCloud Drive files live on your Mac's startup disk, in your user Library, shown as iCloud Drive in Finder's sidebar. They count against internal storage, which is why making them online-only frees space.

Yes. Deleting from iCloud Drive removes the file from iCloud and all your devices. To free Mac space while keeping it in iCloud, use Remove Download or Storage Studio's online-only steps instead.

Open System Settings → your name → iCloud and turn on iCloud Drive (sometimes labelled Sync this Mac). If it's missing from Finder's sidebar, tick it in Finder → Settings → Sidebar. Storage Studio then finds it automatically.

iCloud Drive syncs files and folders you see in Finder; iCloud Photos syncs the library you manage in the Photos app. Each has its own Optimize Mac Storage setting, and both count against the same iCloud plan.

Turn off Optimize Mac Storage for iCloud Drive, then right-click folders in Finder and choose Download Now or Keep Downloaded. Check your free space first — Storage Studio can move other big folders to an external drive to make room.

Yes. Download the files, then move them from iCloud Drive to a local folder that isn't synced. They leave iCloud, freeing iCloud space, but stay on your Mac — or move them to an external drive if space is tight.

Your files stay in iCloud, but they leave this Mac unless you keep a copy when macOS asks. Online-only files can't be kept locally, so download what you need first and check you have the space.

No. Mobile Documents is your iCloud Drive's local folder; deleting from it can delete files from iCloud and every device. Free space safely with Remove Download, Run Tuhi, or Optimize Mac Storage instead.

Apps that save to iCloud — Pages, Numbers, Keynote, TextEdit and others — get their own iCloud Drive folder so documents appear on all your devices. Deleting a folder deletes those documents everywhere.

It's a local, no-longer-synced copy macOS keeps when you turn off iCloud Drive or sign out and keep your files. It can be large: keep it, move it to an external drive with Data Parking, or delete it once you've confirmed the files are in iCloud.

In System Settings → your name → iCloud, switch off the built-in service, or open iCloud Drive's list of apps syncing and turn the app off. It stops syncing from now on; data already in iCloud stays until you delete it.

No — iCloud doesn't store your Mac's apps. Re-download App Store apps from your purchases and others from their makers; some apps sync their settings or documents through iCloud. Use Migration Assistant to move everything to a new Mac.

Best not to. Code repositories, build and dependency folders, databases and app catalogs change constantly and sync poorly — lagging uploads, conflict copies and evicted files. Keep them outside iCloud-synced folders and back them up separately.

Not directly: iCloud Drive syncs everything inside it and has no official per-folder exclusion. Move the folder out of iCloud Drive (and out of synced Desktop and Documents) to another home-folder location or an external drive.

iCloud Drive syncs only what's inside it, plus Desktop and Documents if enabled. To sync another folder, move it into iCloud Drive. Leave Photos and Music libraries where their apps expect them and use their own iCloud features.

Yes — they're separate switches in System Settings → your name → iCloud. Sync files without photos, or photos without files; whichever you turn on shares the same iCloud storage.

Only in limited ways: iCloud Drive syncs the latest copy, and edits and deletions reach every device. Apps like Pages offer Browse All Versions, and iCloud.com can restore recently deleted files. For real history use Time Machine or Data Backup.

Yes — give each person their own macOS user account; iCloud is set per user, so each has a separate iCloud Drive and Photos. All of them share the Mac's disk, so several synced libraries can fill it together.

Files fully uploaded to iCloud are safe — erasing the Mac doesn't touch your account. Anything only on that Mac, including iCloud files still uploading, is at risk: check uploads finished, back up the rest, sign out of iCloud, then erase.

Yes — sign in with the same Apple Account and turn on iCloud Drive (and Desktop & Documents if you used it). Files may appear online-only at first and download when opened; use Download Now for folders you want offline.

Make the downloaded files online-only: tap Run Tuhi, use Remove Download in Finder, or turn on Optimize Mac Storage. Storage Studio's rules skip iCloud-synced Documents so syncing isn't disturbed.

It moves your Desktop and Documents folders into iCloud Drive so they sync across devices. They stay in the usual places in Finder but become iCloud files that can go online-only and count against your iCloud storage.

Your files stay in iCloud Drive's Desktop and Documents folders, and macOS creates new empty local ones. Download the files you want and move them back yourself — check you have the free space first.

When Desktop & Documents Folders syncs to iCloud, Storage Studio lists iCloud · Desktop and iCloud · Documents as separate rows so you can make one online-only without touching the other.

When much of your used space is synced to iCloud, Free Up Space's Want more space? panel offers Open iCloud settings so you can turn on Optimize Mac Storage. For space right away, tap Run Tuhi.

Your Desktop is syncing to iCloud (Desktop & Documents Folders) and those files are online-only. They download when opened; use Download Now or Keep Downloaded to keep them local.

No. Once Documents syncs to iCloud, Storage Studio's rules skip it, because relocating iCloud files would look like deletions to iCloud. Either sync and use online-only, or keep it local and relocate folders to your fast drive.

No. iCloud's Desktop & Documents option syncs only Desktop and Documents; Downloads stays local. So Storage Studio can relocate old files from Downloads to your fast drive and check it for duplicates.

Turning on Desktop & Documents Folders moves those folders into iCloud Drive, so Finder lists them under iCloud in the sidebar. Your files are still there; they now sync and may become online-only with Optimize Mac Storage.

When a second Mac turns on Desktop & Documents, macOS puts that Mac's existing files into folders named after it (Desktop – Mac name) so nothing gets mixed up. Sort them into place and delete the empty folders.

In Photos → Settings → iCloud, choose Optimize Mac Storage. Photos keeps full-resolution originals in iCloud and smaller versions on your Mac, freeing space gradually as it's needed.

Choose Optimize Mac Storage to save space — originals stay in iCloud and download when needed. Choose Download Originals only if you want every full-resolution file on your Mac, which uses the most space.

It can if you move it outside Photos' own method — iCloud Photos follows only the System Photo Library. Storage Studio won't relocate it for that reason. Move it in Finder, open it in Photos, then choose Use as System Photo Library.

Quit Photos, drag the library to an APFS external drive in Finder, Option-open Photos and pick it, then choose Use as System Photo Library in Photos → Settings → General so iCloud Photos keeps working.

Photos can't find it and may start a new, empty library — your photos are still safe on the drive. Quit Photos, connect the drive, then Option-open Photos and choose your library again.

Yes. Photos and videos in iCloud Photos count against your iCloud storage plan. Optimize Mac Storage saves space on your Mac, not in iCloud — the originals are stored in iCloud either way.

Use the Duplicates album in Photos' sidebar to merge duplicate photos; the change syncs through iCloud Photos. Never edit inside the Photos library in Finder. Storage Studio's Duplicates window handles ordinary files elsewhere.

Syncing stops but your iCloud library is untouched. If Optimize Mac Storage is on, some originals exist only in iCloud — switch to Download Originals and let it finish before turning iCloud Photos off.

Not directly — Google Photos can't be added to Storage Studio right now after Google's 2025 rule change. Export with Google Takeout, then import the photos into Photos; with iCloud Photos on they upload to iCloud.

Photos only replaces originals with smaller versions when your Mac needs the space, and keeps recent, edited and still-uploading items full size. Confirm the setting and that uploads have finished; it shrinks as space gets tight.

No. iCloud Photos syncs only the System Photo Library set in Photos → Settings → General. Other libraries stay local. To change it, open that library with Option held and choose Use as System Photo Library.

Not by deleting — with iCloud Photos on, a deletion on your Mac removes the photo everywhere. Choose Optimize Mac Storage in Photos → Settings → iCloud so originals stay in iCloud and your Mac keeps smaller versions.

With Optimize Mac Storage on, Photos keeps smaller versions on your Mac and downloads the original when you open, zoom, edit or export. Brief blur is normal; choose Download Originals if you want every original locally.

No. A Photos library is a constantly changing database, and syncing it through iCloud Drive or another cloud folder can damage it. Keep it in Pictures or on an APFS external drive and use iCloud Photos to sync.

Yes. Move the library with Photos' own method and keep it outside Storage Studio's folder on the drive. Keep the drive connected whenever Photos opens, quit Photos before ejecting, and back the library up separately.

Select photos and choose File → Export → Export Unmodified Original, then pick a folder on the external drive. With Optimize Mac Storage on, Photos downloads originals as it exports, so export in batches if space is tight.

Use APFS (or Mac OS Extended on older setups), on a drive connected directly to your Mac. Avoid exFAT, network drives, cloud-synced folders and your Time Machine drive. Check the format in Disk Utility.

No. Run Tuhi's cloud step works on cloud folders like iCloud Drive, not the Photos library, and Free Up Space's rules leave the library to Photos. Use Photos' own Optimize Mac Storage to save space there.

Not on its own — iCloud Photos syncs one library, so deletions and edits spread to every device. Keep a separate copy with Time Machine or exported originals; with Optimize Mac Storage on, download originals first.

No. Time Machine backs up what's on your Mac, and with Optimize Mac Storage some originals live only in iCloud. Choose Download Originals and let it finish before backing up if you want every original locally.

Open Photos' Recently Deleted album, select the photo and click Recover; it returns on every device. Items stay there for a limited time — after that you need a backup. Storage Studio never deletes from the Photos library.

Download the originals, export them with File → Export → Export Unmodified Original to your external drive, check them and keep a second copy, then delete them in Photos and empty Recently Deleted. Deleting removes them from every device.

Deleted photos sit in Recently Deleted for a while so you can recover them. Open Recently Deleted in Photos, select them and choose Delete to release the space now — but then they're gone from every device for good.

Check the status line at the bottom of the Photos library. Common causes are full iCloud storage, paused syncing, iCloud Photos switched off, the library not being the System Photo Library, or a slow connection.

The first upload sends every original in full, in the background, and slows or pauses when you're busy, on battery or on a weak connection — big libraries can take days. Keep the Mac plugged in and awake with Photos open; progress shows at the bottom of the library.

At the bottom of Photos' Library view, click Pause to hold syncing (usually for a day) and Resume to continue. Pausing removes nothing; to stop for good, turn off iCloud Photos in Photos → Settings → iCloud.

With Optimize Mac Storage, Photos keeps smaller versions as space runs low. With Download Originals it needs room for every original, so downloads can stop on a full disk. Switch to Optimize, move the library, or free space elsewhere.

Yes — iCloud keeps your originals at full quality, RAW included. With Optimize Mac Storage your Mac holds smaller versions and fetches the original when you open or export a photo. Shared Albums are the exception: they use reduced copies.

Not in a supported way — macOS keeps iCloud Drive on the startup disk, and Storage Studio won't move it. Instead, make iCloud files online-only, turn on Optimize Mac Storage, or keep non-synced folders on the external drive.

Moving iCloud files to another drive would look like a deletion to iCloud's sync, so Storage Studio's rules skip iCloud Drive (and synced Desktop & Documents). Use online-only for iCloud files instead.

Use both: iCloud for files you need on every device, an external drive for large files that only need to be on this Mac. Storage Studio keeps iCloud files online-only and moves big local folders to the drive.

Download the files first (right-click → Download Now), then copy them to the drive in Finder, back them up with Time Machine, or add them to a Storage Studio Data Backup set that keeps restorable versions.

Usually not for active projects: big media is slow to sync, uses your iCloud plan and isn't available offline once online-only. Keep active projects on your Mac or a fast external drive and use iCloud for finished exports.

Download the folder first (Download Now), copy it to the external drive, check the files open, then delete the iCloud Drive copy. This removes it from iCloud and your other devices, so only do it for files you don't need synced.

No. Storage Studio's rules skip online-only files and anything inside iCloud Drive or other cloud folders, so nothing is downloaded just to be moved and iCloud's sync is never disturbed.

Only indirectly. Storage Studio frees space on your Mac, not in your iCloud account. Remove what you don't need in iCloud, find duplicates in iCloud Drive, or move non-synced files out of iCloud to a drive.

No. Online-only frees space on your Mac only — the file still lives in iCloud and counts against your iCloud plan. iCloud space is freed only by deleting files from iCloud or moving them out of it.

No. Storage Studio doesn't sell or change iCloud storage. It helps your Mac's own storage go further — keeping iCloud files online-only and moving non-synced folders to an external drive — while iCloud stays Apple's service.

Open System Settings → your name → iCloud. The bar shows how much of your iCloud plan is used and by which apps; Manage lets you remove data. That's your account — Storage Profile in Storage Studio shows the Mac side.

No. iCloud backups live in iCloud and count against your iCloud plan. Only local backups made through Finder use your Mac's disk — manage those with Manage Backups when the device is selected in Finder.

Move big apps and non-synced folders to an external drive with Storage Studio — a shortcut keeps them opening normally — and use Run Tuhi, What's Using Space and Duplicates. No extra iCloud storage needed.

They're separate: iCloud storage is your online Apple Account space (photos, Drive, backups, Mail); Mac storage is your Mac's disk. Freeing one doesn't free the other. Fix iCloud full in iCloud; fix Mac full on the Mac — Storage Studio works on the Mac side.

Nothing already stored is deleted, but new photos stop uploading, iCloud Drive stops syncing changes, device backups stop, and iCloud Mail can stop receiving. Free iCloud space or change your plan and syncing resumes.

System Settings → your name → iCloud → Manage lists everything using your iCloud storage, largest first — photos, backups, iCloud Drive, Messages, Mail and app data. You can delete backups and app data there, which removes them from every device.

In System Settings → your name → iCloud → Manage, choose Change Storage Plan to upgrade or Downgrade Options to move to a smaller plan. Billing goes through your Apple Account. Check your data fits before downgrading.

Your data isn't deleted just because you're over the new limit, but iCloud becomes full: photos, iCloud Drive and backups stop updating until you're under it. Trim backups, files and photos before you downgrade.

iCloud is the free service with a small amount of storage; iCloud+ is Apple's paid plan with more storage and extras like Hide My Email, custom email domains and family sharing of storage. Storage Studio works the same with either.

Yes, with iCloud+ plans that support Family Sharing. Family members share the storage space, not each other's files, which stay private. Set it up in System Settings → Family; remember one person can fill the shared pool for everyone.

Enough for your photo library, device backups and what you keep in iCloud Drive, plus room for a year's growth. Check current use in System Settings → your name → iCloud → Manage, and keep big archives on an external drive to need less.

Delete old device backups and trim current ones, move big files you don't need synced out of iCloud Drive, clear large Messages and Mail attachments, and delete data for apps you no longer use. Online-only files don't reduce iCloud usage.

In System Settings → your name → iCloud → Manage, select the app and choose Delete Data. It removes that app's data from iCloud and every device that syncs it, permanently — so only do it for apps you no longer need.

iCloud Drive files, Messages, iCloud Mail, Notes attachments, voice memos and app data all count. Contacts, calendars, reminders and passwords are tiny. The Manage list in iCloud settings shows real sizes — usually photos, backups and Drive dominate.

Delete them from iCloud Drive in Finder and empty the Trash — they're removed from iCloud and all devices. They may stay recoverable on iCloud.com for a while; deleting them there frees the space sooner. Move anything you want to keep first.

That's Apple's Universal Clipboard (Handoff), not Storage Studio. Turn it off on each Mac in System Settings → General → AirDrop & Handoff. Storage Studio's clipboard sharing only runs over Bridge, with its own switch.

It can — Universal Clipboard places iPhone or iPad copies on your Mac's clipboard, where Junk Yard sees them like local copies. Turn off Handoff in System Settings → General → AirDrop & Handoff if you don't want that.

No. Universal Clipboard is Apple's Handoff feature for nearby Apple devices on the same iCloud account. Bridge is Storage Studio's own link between devices you connect, including Windows PCs via the free SS Bridge app.

On the iPhone, open Settings → General → AirPlay & Handoff and turn off Handoff. On the Mac, switch off Allow Handoff in System Settings → General → AirDrop & Handoff. It's Apple's feature, separate from Storage Studio.

Universal Clipboard needs the same Apple Account, Handoff on, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on, and the devices near each other. It's Apple's feature; Storage Studio's Bridge is a separate way to share clipboard and files between your devices.

From macOS 14, macOS no longer lets apps free a whole cloud folder this way, so the pass frees nothing. Use Run Tuhi, Storage Profile's Free up button, or Finder's Remove Download instead.

Storage Studio only lists cloud folders it finds on your Mac. Turn on iCloud Drive in System Settings → your name → iCloud, let it finish setting up, then reopen the menu so Storage Studio re-scans.

macOS 14 and later stopped letting apps free a whole cloud folder in one pass, so Storage Studio points you to Finder's Remove Download. Run Tuhi and Storage Profile's Free up button still free iCloud files on every supported macOS.

The pass stopped early, but nothing was deleted. Check iCloud Drive is on, give Storage Studio Full Disk Access, close open iCloud documents and retry — or use Run Tuhi or Finder's Remove Download instead.

Something opened them — any app reading an online-only file makes macOS download it again. Look for apps or backup tools that scan iCloud Drive. Storage Studio's own scans skip online-only files and don't download them.

They're usually copies iCloud keeps when the same file changed in two places, so no work is lost. Compare and delete the one you don't need. Storage Studio's Duplicates window groups only files that are exact copies.

Free space first — an online-only file needs room to download. Tap Run Tuhi, move big apps or non-synced folders to your external drive, or check What's Using Space, then open the iCloud file again.

macOS handles iCloud uploads; they usually stall because iCloud storage is full, you're offline, Low Power Mode is on, or iCloud needs you to sign in again. Storage Studio never frees a file until iCloud has it.

Storage Studio found no cloud folders on your Mac, such as iCloud Drive or a Google Drive or Dropbox folder. Turn on iCloud Drive in System Settings, give Storage Studio Full Disk Access, then reopen it.

The iCloud Drive row only appears when iCloud Drive is set up on this Mac. Turn it on in System Settings → your name → iCloud, give Storage Studio Full Disk Access, then reopen the Duplicates window.

Usually the Mac hasn't finished uploading or the other device hasn't fetched the change. Check the file's upload icon in Finder, that both devices use the same Apple Account, that iCloud isn't full, then refresh the Files app or restart both devices.

They're macOS's own iCloud sync processes. They get busy when there's lots to sync — after enabling iCloud Drive, adding many files or setting up a new Mac — and settle when it's done. If they stay busy for days, check iCloud isn't full and restart.

Only during the initial catch-up, when large uploads or downloads and Photos' background analysis use network, disk and processing. Afterwards iCloud mostly idles. Leave the Mac plugged in overnight for big syncs and pause Photos when you need bandwidth.

Check Apple's System Status page, which shows whether iCloud Drive, Photos, Mail and other services are working. If one is down, syncing resumes by itself once Apple fixes it; if all is well, check your storage, sign-in and connection.

It's hidden or turned off. Tick iCloud Drive in Finder → Settings → Sidebar, and check iCloud Drive is on in System Settings → your name → iCloud. Go → iCloud Drive in Finder opens it either way.

In Finder, Control-click the folder in iCloud Drive, choose Share (or Collaborate), invite people and set whether they can edit or only view. Shared folders sync for everyone, and their contents count toward the owner's iCloud storage.

The owner's: shared folder contents count toward the iCloud storage of whoever shared it. Downloaded copies still use space on each participant's Mac, and can be made online-only there.

It's a separate library in Photos that a small group can all add to and edit, alongside each person's personal library. Set it up in Photos → Settings → Shared Library. Deletions apply for everyone.

It uses only the iCloud storage of the person who created it; participants add photos without using their own space. On each Mac the photos still take local disk space, which Optimize Mac Storage can reduce.

No — Shared Albums don't count toward your iCloud storage, but they store reduced-size copies, so they're for sharing, not archiving. The iCloud Shared Photo Library is different: full originals, counted against its creator's storage.

In System Settings → your name → iCloud → Manage → Backups, select the old device and click Delete. Only delete backups you'll never restore from; deleting one also turns off iCloud Backup for that device. iCloud Photos isn't affected.

Not if iCloud Photos is on — the photo library is stored separately and isn't touched. If iCloud Photos is off on that device, its photos may be in the backup, so make sure they're saved elsewhere before deleting it.

In the iPhone's iCloud settings, open the storage list → Backups → this iPhone and turn off backup for big apps that don't need it. Turning on iCloud Photos and Messages in iCloud also keeps photos and attachments out of the backup.

Yes. With Messages in iCloud on, conversations and attachments count toward iCloud storage, and the Mac keeps its own local copy too. Delete big attachments and old conversations, or set a shorter keep time in Messages settings.

The Mac stops syncing conversations via iCloud: existing messages stay on it and new ones still arrive, but deletions and read status no longer sync. Turning it off on all devices moves message history out of iCloud storage into each device.

Yes — iCloud Mail messages and attachments, including Sent and Trash, count toward iCloud storage, and a full iCloud can stop new mail arriving. Delete large emails and empty the account's Trash to free space.

Yes — WhatsApp on iPhone backs chats and media up to iCloud, and it counts toward your storage, growing fast with videos. Exclude videos in WhatsApp's backup settings, and remove old backups from iCloud's Manage list only if you won't need them.

It's an optional iCloud setting that protects most iCloud data, including Drive, Photos and backups, so only your trusted devices can read it — not Apple. The trade-off: Apple can't recover your data, so you must set up a recovery contact or key.

You'll need a trusted device's passcode, your recovery contact or your recovery key. Apple can't unlock data protected by Advanced Data Protection, so if every recovery method is lost, that data is gone — keep the key safe and a separate backup.

iCloud protects data with encryption and two-factor authentication, and Advanced Data Protection goes further so Apple can't read most of it. The main risks are weak account security and losing access — use a strong password, consider ADP, and keep an offline copy.

Sign in at iCloud.com, open Photos, select photos and download them, choosing Unmodified Original for full quality. It's best for small batches; for a whole library use Photos on a Mac or request a copy of your data from Apple.

Use Apple's Data and Privacy page, signed in with your Apple Account, to request a copy of your data — iCloud Drive files and photos included. Apple prepares it over a few days; save the download to a drive with plenty of room.

Yes — sign in at iCloud.com and open Drive to browse, download and upload from any browser. With Advanced Data Protection on, web access is off until you allow it from a trusted device.

Yes — Apple's iCloud for Windows app (from the Microsoft Store) adds iCloud Drive to File Explorer and can sync iCloud Photos; iCloud.com works in any browser too. It shares the same iCloud storage as your Mac.

Yes — each syncs its own folder. Don't nest one service's folder inside another's, and avoid keeping the same files in both, which doubles the space used in the clouds and on your Mac. Make files online-only to save Mac space.

Copy the files into a folder in iCloud Drive (making sure they're fully downloaded and you have iCloud space), let them upload, check them, then remove them from the old service. Storage Studio's Data Transfers can copy from a connected account into an iCloud Drive folder.