{"id":"icloud.how-do-i-exclude-a-folder-from-icloud-drive","url":"/faq/icloud/how-do-i-exclude-a-folder-from-icloud-drive","category":{"id":"icloud","title":"iCloud & iCloud Photos"},"subcategory":{"id":"icloud-drive-basics","title":"iCloud Drive basics"},"question":"Can I stop iCloud Drive syncing one folder?","alt_questions":["Exclude folder from iCloud sync","Keep a folder in Documents out of iCloud","Don't sync specific folder iCloud Drive","icloud drive selective sync mac"],"short_answer":"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.","answer_markdown":"Not directly — iCloud Drive syncs everything inside it, and there's no official way to exclude one folder. To keep a folder local only, move it **out** of iCloud Drive (and out of Desktop and Documents, if those sync) to another folder in your home folder or to an external drive.\n\nThe opposite — keeping a synced folder always on your Mac — is possible with **Keep Downloaded**; see [keeping an iCloud folder downloaded](/faq/icloud/how-do-i-keep-an-icloud-folder-always-downloaded).","answer_html":"

Not directly — iCloud Drive syncs everything inside it, and there's no official way to exclude one folder. To keep a folder local only, move it out of iCloud Drive (and out of Desktop and Documents, if those sync) to another folder in your home folder or to an external drive.

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The opposite — keeping a synced folder always on your Mac — is possible with Keep Downloaded; see keeping an iCloud folder downloaded.

","answer_text":"Not directly — iCloud Drive syncs everything inside it, and there's no official way to exclude one folder. To keep a folder local only, move it out of iCloud Drive (and out of Desktop and Documents, if those sync) to another folder in your home folder or to an external drive.\n\nThe opposite — keeping a synced folder always on your Mac — is possible with Keep Downloaded; see keeping an iCloud folder downloaded.","tags":["icloud drive","exclude","sync"],"related":[{"id":"icloud.how-do-i-keep-an-icloud-folder-always-downloaded","question":"How do I keep an iCloud Drive folder always downloaded on my Mac?","url":"/faq/icloud/how-do-i-keep-an-icloud-folder-always-downloaded"},{"id":"icloud.should-i-keep-code-or-databases-in-icloud-drive","question":"Should I keep code projects, databases or app libraries in iCloud Drive?","url":"/faq/icloud/should-i-keep-code-or-databases-in-icloud-drive"},{"id":"icloud.can-i-delete-files-from-icloud-drive-but-keep-them-on-my-mac","question":"Can I remove files from iCloud Drive but keep them on my Mac?","url":"/faq/icloud/can-i-delete-files-from-icloud-drive-but-keep-them-on-my-mac"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"Can I stop iCloud Drive syncing one folder? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"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.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"iCloud & iCloud Photos","path":"/faq/icloud/"},{"name":"Can I stop iCloud Drive syncing one folder?","path":"/faq/icloud/how-do-i-exclude-a-folder-from-icloud-drive"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/icloud/how-do-i-exclude-a-folder-from-icloud-drive","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Can I stop iCloud Drive syncing one folder?","alternateName":["Exclude folder from iCloud sync","Keep a folder in Documents out of iCloud","Don't sync specific folder iCloud Drive","icloud drive selective sync mac"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Not directly — iCloud Drive syncs everything inside it, and there's no official way to exclude one folder. To keep a folder local only, move it out of iCloud Drive (and out of Desktop and Documents, if those sync) to another folder in your home folder or to an external drive.\n\nThe opposite — keeping a synced folder always on your Mac — is possible with Keep Downloaded; see keeping an iCloud folder downloaded.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/icloud/how-do-i-exclude-a-folder-from-icloud-drive"}}]},"fragment":"
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iCloud & iCloud Photos · iCloud Drive basics

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Can I stop iCloud Drive syncing one folder?

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Short answer: 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.

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Not directly — iCloud Drive syncs everything inside it, and there's no official way to exclude one folder. To keep a folder local only, move it out of iCloud Drive (and out of Desktop and Documents, if those sync) to another folder in your home folder or to an external drive.

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The opposite — keeping a synced folder always on your Mac — is possible with Keep Downloaded; see keeping an iCloud folder downloaded.

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