---
id: icloud.what-happens-to-icloud-files-if-i-sign-out-or-turn-off-icloud-drive
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/icloud/what-happens-to-icloud-files-if-i-sign-out-or-turn-off-icloud-drive
category: "iCloud & iCloud Photos"
subcategory: "iCloud Drive basics"
question: "What happens to my iCloud Drive files if I turn off iCloud Drive or sign out?"
alt_questions:
  - "Sign out of iCloud keep a copy"
  - "Turn off iCloud Drive delete files from Mac?"
  - "Keep a copy of iCloud Drive"
  - "Will signing out of iCloud remove my files?"
  - "Disable iCloud Drive what happens to files"
short_answer: "Your files stay in iCloud, but they leave this Mac unless you keep a copy when macOS asks. Online-only files can't be kept locally, so download what you need first and check you have the space."
tags: ["icloud drive", "sign out", "settings"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/icloud/how-do-i-download-everything-in-icloud-drive", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/icloud/why-doesnt-storage-studio-find-my-icloud-drive"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# What happens to my iCloud Drive files if I turn off iCloud Drive or sign out?

Your files stay safe in iCloud, but they're removed from this Mac unless you choose to keep a copy. macOS asks whether to keep a copy of your iCloud Drive files when you turn it off or sign out; anything online-only at that moment can't be kept locally because it was never on the Mac.

Before you sign out:

1. Download anything you'll need on this Mac (**Download Now** in Finder).
2. Check you have the free space for it.
3. Choose to keep a copy when macOS asks.

After you sign out, Storage Studio no longer lists iCloud Drive in its menus — that's expected, since the folder is gone.