---
id: icloud.what-is-optimize-mac-storage-in-icloud-drive
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/icloud/what-is-optimize-mac-storage-in-icloud-drive
category: "iCloud & iCloud Photos"
subcategory: "Online-only files and Optimize Mac Storage"
question: "What does Optimize Mac Storage do in iCloud Drive settings?"
alt_questions:
  - "Should I turn on Optimize Mac Storage?"
  - "Optimise Mac Storage iCloud Drive explained"
  - "icloud optimize mac storage meaning"
  - "Does Optimize Mac Storage delete files?"
  - "Where is Optimize Mac Storage setting?"
short_answer: "Optimize Mac Storage lets macOS remove local copies of older iCloud Drive files when space runs low, keeping them in iCloud. Turn it on in System Settings → your name → iCloud → iCloud Drive."
tags: ["optimize mac storage", "icloud drive", "settings"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/icloud/optimize-mac-storage-vs-storage-studio-optimize-cloud-storage", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/icloud/why-does-optimize-mac-storage-not-free-space-right-away"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# What does Optimize Mac Storage do in iCloud Drive settings?

**Optimize Mac Storage** lets macOS keep older iCloud Drive files in iCloud only and remove their local copies when your Mac needs space. Files you use often stay downloaded, and anything online-only downloads again when you open it.

Turn it on in **System Settings → your name → iCloud → iCloud Drive** (the exact wording varies slightly between macOS versions).

It's a good setting if you're tight on space. The difference with Storage Studio's **Optimize Cloud Storage** is timing: macOS decides for itself when to free files, usually as space runs low, whereas Storage Studio frees downloaded iCloud files right away when you ask. You can use both. See [how Storage Studio frees iCloud files](https://storagestudio.us/faq/icloud/how-do-i-make-icloud-drive-files-online-only-with-storage-studio).