iCloud & iCloud Photos · iCloud Drive basics
If I delete an online-only file on my Mac, is it deleted from iCloud too?
Short answer: 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.
Yes. Deleting a file from iCloud Drive — online-only or downloaded — deletes it from iCloud and from all your devices. To free space on your Mac but keep the file in iCloud, use Remove Download instead, never delete.
- Remove Download (Finder) or Storage Studio's online-only steps: frees your Mac, keeps the file in iCloud.
- Move to Trash: removes the file everywhere once the Trash is emptied (iCloud.com keeps recently deleted files for a limited time).
This is why Storage Studio never deletes iCloud files to free space — it only makes them online-only. See what online-only means.