{"id":"icloud.my-documents-folder-is-in-icloud-how-do-i-free-space","url":"/faq/icloud/my-documents-folder-is-in-icloud-how-do-i-free-space","category":{"id":"icloud","title":"iCloud & iCloud Photos"},"subcategory":{"id":"desktop-and-documents","title":"Desktop & Documents in iCloud"},"question":"My Documents folder syncs to iCloud — how do I free up the space it uses?","alt_questions":["Documents in iCloud taking too much space","Free space from iCloud Desktop and Documents","Documents folder huge with iCloud sync","How to shrink Documents when it's in iCloud","iCloud Documents eating my SSD","Reduce Documents space iCloud Mac"],"short_answer":"Make the downloaded files online-only: tap Run Tuhi, use Remove Download in Finder, or turn on Optimize Mac Storage. Storage Studio's rules skip iCloud-synced Documents so syncing isn't disturbed.","answer_markdown":"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.\n\n1. Tap **Run Tuhi** in Storage Studio — its cloud step frees large downloaded files, including those in an iCloud-synced Documents folder.\n2. Right-click a big folder inside Documents in Finder and choose **Remove Download**.\n3. Turn on **Optimize Mac Storage** in iCloud Drive's settings so macOS frees older files over time.\n\nStorage 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.","answer_html":"

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.

\n
  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.
\n

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.

","answer_text":"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.\n\n1. Tap Run Tuhi in Storage Studio — its cloud step frees large downloaded files, including those in an iCloud-synced Documents folder.\n2. Right-click a big folder inside Documents in Finder and choose Remove Download.\n3. Turn on Optimize Mac Storage in iCloud Drive's settings so macOS frees older files over time.\n\nStorage 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.","tags":["documents","desktop and documents","icloud drive","free up space"],"related":[{"id":"icloud.what-is-desktop-and-documents-folders-in-icloud","question":"What does the Desktop & Documents Folders option in iCloud Drive do?","url":"/faq/icloud/what-is-desktop-and-documents-folders-in-icloud"},{"id":"icloud.why-dont-storage-studio-rules-move-files-in-icloud-drive","question":"Why don't Storage Studio's rules move files that are in iCloud Drive?","url":"/faq/icloud/why-dont-storage-studio-rules-move-files-in-icloud-drive"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"My Documents folder syncs to iCloud — how do I free up the space it uses? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"Make the downloaded files online-only: tap Run Tuhi, use Remove Download in Finder, or turn on Optimize Mac Storage. Storage Studio's rules skip iCloud-synced Documents so syncing isn't disturbed.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"iCloud & iCloud Photos","path":"/faq/icloud/"},{"name":"My Documents folder syncs to iCloud — how do I free up the space it uses?","path":"/faq/icloud/my-documents-folder-is-in-icloud-how-do-i-free-space"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/icloud/my-documents-folder-is-in-icloud-how-do-i-free-space","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"My Documents folder syncs to iCloud — how do I free up the space it uses?","alternateName":["Documents in iCloud taking too much space","Free space from iCloud Desktop and Documents","Documents folder huge with iCloud sync","How to shrink Documents when it's in iCloud","iCloud Documents eating my SSD","Reduce Documents space iCloud Mac"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"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.\n\n1. Tap Run Tuhi in Storage Studio — its cloud step frees large downloaded files, including those in an iCloud-synced Documents folder.\n2. Right-click a big folder inside Documents in Finder and choose Remove Download.\n3. Turn on Optimize Mac Storage in iCloud Drive's settings so macOS frees older files over time.\n\nStorage 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.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/icloud/my-documents-folder-is-in-icloud-how-do-i-free-space"}}]},"fragment":"
\n
\n\n\n\n\n
\n
\n

iCloud & iCloud Photos · Desktop & Documents in iCloud

\n

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

\n

Short answer: Make the downloaded files online-only: tap Run Tuhi, use Remove Download in Finder, or turn on Optimize Mac Storage. Storage Studio's rules skip iCloud-synced Documents so syncing isn't disturbed.

\n

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.

\n
  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.
\n

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.

\n\n

Last reviewed

\n\n

Related questions

\n

Also available as Markdown and JSON.

\n
"}