---
id: icloud.how-do-i-make-icloud-drive-files-online-only-with-storage-studio
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/icloud/how-do-i-make-icloud-drive-files-online-only-with-storage-studio
category: "iCloud & iCloud Photos"
subcategory: "Storage Studio and iCloud"
question: "How do I make my iCloud Drive files online-only with Storage Studio?"
alt_questions:
  - "Free up space from iCloud Drive with Storage Studio"
  - "How do I remove downloaded iCloud files from my Mac?"
  - "Evict iCloud files to free space"
  - "Make all iCloud files cloud-only at once"
  - "storage studio optimize cloud storage icloud"
  - "Stop iCloud Drive files taking space on my Mac"
  - "Remove local copies of iCloud Drive files in one go"
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."
tags: ["icloud drive", "online-only", "free up space", "optimize cloud storage"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/icloud/what-does-online-only-mean-for-icloud-files", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/icloud/which-icloud-files-are-skipped-when-making-them-online-only", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/icloud/can-i-cancel-optimize-cloud-storage"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# How do I make my iCloud Drive files online-only with Storage Studio?

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](https://storagestudio.us/faq/icloud/what-does-online-only-mean-for-icloud-files).