{"id":"icloud.does-duplicates-compare-icloud-drive-with-my-other-folders","url":"/faq/icloud/does-duplicates-compare-icloud-drive-with-my-other-folders","category":{"id":"icloud","title":"iCloud & iCloud Photos"},"subcategory":{"id":"storage-studio-and-icloud","title":"Storage Studio and iCloud"},"question":"Does Storage Studio find a file that's copied both in iCloud Drive and in my Downloads?","alt_questions":["Duplicates across iCloud and Mac folders","Same file in iCloud Drive and Documents","Cross-source duplicate check","Does duplicate finder compare iCloud with This Mac?","Duplicates between cloud and local"],"short_answer":"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.","answer_markdown":"Not as one set. The **Duplicates** window checks each place on its own — **This Mac**, **iCloud Drive**, and each connected cloud account — so its results describe duplicates within that source. A file with one copy in Downloads and another in iCloud Drive isn't grouped together.\n\nThat keeps each check focused and means removing extras in one place never touches another. To spot copies split across places, look at each source's results, or search in Finder for the file name and compare.\n\nWithin iCloud Drive itself, only files already downloaded to your Mac are compared. See [duplicates in iCloud Drive](/faq/duplicates/can-storage-studio-find-duplicates-in-icloud-drive).","answer_html":"

Not as one set. The Duplicates window checks each place on its own — This Mac, iCloud Drive, and each connected cloud account — so its results describe duplicates within that source. A file with one copy in Downloads and another in iCloud Drive isn't grouped together.

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That keeps each check focused and means removing extras in one place never touches another. To spot copies split across places, look at each source's results, or search in Finder for the file name and compare.

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Within iCloud Drive itself, only files already downloaded to your Mac are compared. See duplicates in iCloud Drive.

","answer_text":"Not as one set. The Duplicates window checks each place on its own — This Mac, iCloud Drive, and each connected cloud account — so its results describe duplicates within that source. A file with one copy in Downloads and another in iCloud Drive isn't grouped together.\n\nThat keeps each check focused and means removing extras in one place never touches another. To spot copies split across places, look at each source's results, or search in Finder for the file name and compare.\n\nWithin iCloud Drive itself, only files already downloaded to your Mac are compared. See duplicates in iCloud Drive.","tags":["duplicates","icloud drive","sources"],"related":[{"id":"duplicates.can-storage-studio-find-duplicates-in-icloud-drive","question":"How does the duplicate finder handle iCloud Drive?","url":"/faq/duplicates/can-storage-studio-find-duplicates-in-icloud-drive"},{"id":"icloud.does-the-duplicate-finder-scan-icloud-drive-automatically","question":"Does Storage Studio scan iCloud Drive for duplicates on its own?","url":"/faq/icloud/does-the-duplicate-finder-scan-icloud-drive-automatically"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"Does Storage Studio find a file that's copied both in iCloud Drive and in my Downloads? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"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.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"iCloud & iCloud Photos","path":"/faq/icloud/"},{"name":"Does Storage Studio find a file that's copied both in iCloud Drive and in my Downloads?","path":"/faq/icloud/does-duplicates-compare-icloud-drive-with-my-other-folders"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/icloud/does-duplicates-compare-icloud-drive-with-my-other-folders","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Does Storage Studio find a file that's copied both in iCloud Drive and in my Downloads?","alternateName":["Duplicates across iCloud and Mac folders","Same file in iCloud Drive and Documents","Cross-source duplicate check","Does duplicate finder compare iCloud with This Mac?","Duplicates between cloud and local"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Not as one set. The Duplicates window checks each place on its own — This Mac, iCloud Drive, and each connected cloud account — so its results describe duplicates within that source. A file with one copy in Downloads and another in iCloud Drive isn't grouped together.\n\nThat keeps each check focused and means removing extras in one place never touches another. To spot copies split across places, look at each source's results, or search in Finder for the file name and compare.\n\nWithin iCloud Drive itself, only files already downloaded to your Mac are compared. See duplicates in iCloud Drive.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/icloud/does-duplicates-compare-icloud-drive-with-my-other-folders"}}]},"fragment":"
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iCloud & iCloud Photos · Storage Studio and iCloud

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Does Storage Studio find a file that's copied both in iCloud Drive and in my Downloads?

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Short answer: 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.

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Not as one set. The Duplicates window checks each place on its own — This Mac, iCloud Drive, and each connected cloud account — so its results describe duplicates within that source. A file with one copy in Downloads and another in iCloud Drive isn't grouped together.

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That keeps each check focused and means removing extras in one place never touches another. To spot copies split across places, look at each source's results, or search in Finder for the file name and compare.

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Within iCloud Drive itself, only files already downloaded to your Mac are compared. See duplicates in iCloud Drive.

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Last reviewed

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