My Documents folder syncs to iCloud — how do I free up the space it uses?

Make the downloaded files online-only. With Desktop & Documents Folders syncing to iCloud, everything in Documents is an iCloud file, so the space-saving move is to keep the copies in iCloud and free them from your Mac.

1. Tap Run Tuhi in Storage Studio — its cloud step frees large downloaded files, including those in an iCloud-synced Documents folder.
2. Right-click a big folder inside Documents in Finder and choose Remove Download.
3. Turn on Optimize Mac Storage in iCloud Drive's settings so macOS frees older files over time.

Storage Studio's automatic rules deliberately skip Desktop and Documents while they sync to iCloud, because moving iCloud files to another drive would look like deletions to iCloud. If a large folder in Documents doesn't need to sync — an old project archive, say — move it out of Documents first, then relocate it to your fast drive with Data Parking.