iCloud & iCloud Photos · Desktop & Documents in iCloud
Is my Downloads folder synced to iCloud?
Short answer: No. iCloud's Desktop & Documents option syncs only Desktop and Documents; Downloads stays local. So Storage Studio can relocate old files from Downloads to your fast drive and check it for duplicates.
No. iCloud's Desktop & Documents Folders option syncs only your Desktop and Documents. Downloads stays a local folder on your Mac unless you move it into iCloud Drive yourself.
That means Storage Studio can treat Downloads like any other local folder — its rules can relocate large, old files there to your fast drive, and Duplicates checks it as part of This Mac.
If you'd like downloads to sync, save them into an iCloud Drive folder instead; just remember that uses your iCloud plan.