iCloud & iCloud Photos · iCloud and external drives

Can I move my iCloud Drive folder to an external drive?

Short answer: 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.

Not in a supported way. macOS keeps the iCloud Drive folder on your startup disk, and moving it or replacing it with a shortcut can confuse syncing. Storage Studio deliberately doesn't do it: its automatic rules skip anything inside iCloud Drive, and it never moves an online-only file.

What works instead:

  • Make iCloud files online-only — tap Run Tuhi, or right-click a folder in Finder and choose Remove Download. The files stay in iCloud and free local space.
  • Turn on Optimize Mac Storage in iCloud Drive's settings so macOS frees space automatically.
  • Keep non-synced folders on the external drive — move big folders that don't need to sync (archives, media projects) out of iCloud Drive and relocate them with Storage Studio's Data Parking.

See moving folders.

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