iCloud & iCloud Photos · Storage Studio and iCloud
How do I make my iCloud Drive files online-only with Storage Studio?
Short answer: 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.
Tap Run Tuhi on the Home screen. Its Keeping cloud files online-only step finds large downloaded files in iCloud Drive and your other cloud folders, makes them online-only, and reports how much space it freed. For a single big file, use Free up in Storage Profile's Biggest space-users list.
Freeing a whole folder
- Finder — right-click a folder in iCloud Drive and choose Remove Download.
- More menu (•••) → Optimize Cloud Storage — pick iCloud Drive for a whole-folder pass with live progress. On macOS 13 it works through the entire folder; on macOS 14 and later, macOS no longer lets apps free a whole folder this way, so Storage Studio points you to Finder's Remove Download instead.
Whichever you use, nothing is deleted: every file stays in iCloud and downloads again the moment you open it. See what online-only means.