{"id":"icloud.what-is-the-icloud-drive-archive-folder","url":"/faq/icloud/what-is-the-icloud-drive-archive-folder","category":{"id":"icloud","title":"iCloud & iCloud Photos"},"subcategory":{"id":"icloud-drive-basics","title":"iCloud Drive basics"},"question":"What is the iCloud Drive (Archive) folder in my home folder?","alt_questions":["iCloud Drive (Archive) folder Mac","Can I delete iCloud Drive Archive?","Why do I have an iCloud Drive Archive folder?","Large iCloud Archive folder taking space","Move iCloud Drive Archive to external drive"],"short_answer":"It's a local, no-longer-synced copy macOS keeps when you turn off iCloud Drive or sign out and keep your files. It can be large: keep it, move it to an external drive with Data Parking, or delete it once you've confirmed the files are in iCloud.","answer_markdown":"It's a local copy macOS keeps when you turn off iCloud Drive or sign out and choose to keep your files. It's an ordinary folder on your Mac, no longer synced, and it can be large.\n\nWhat you can do with it:\n\n- **Keep it** if those files aren't in iCloud anymore and you still need them.\n- **Move it to an external drive** — it's a normal local folder, so Storage Studio's Data Parking can relocate it to your fast drive.\n- **Delete it** only after confirming the same files are still in iCloud Drive (check iCloud.com) or in a backup.\n\nBecause it's no longer an iCloud folder, Storage Studio's rules and duplicate finder treat it like any other local folder.","answer_html":"

It's a local copy macOS keeps when you turn off iCloud Drive or sign out and choose to keep your files. It's an ordinary folder on your Mac, no longer synced, and it can be large.

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What you can do with it:

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Because it's no longer an iCloud folder, Storage Studio's rules and duplicate finder treat it like any other local folder.

","answer_text":"It's a local copy macOS keeps when you turn off iCloud Drive or sign out and choose to keep your files. It's an ordinary folder on your Mac, no longer synced, and it can be large.\n\nWhat you can do with it:\n\n- Keep it if those files aren't in iCloud anymore and you still need them.\n- Move it to an external drive — it's a normal local folder, so Storage Studio's Data Parking can relocate it to your fast drive.\n- Delete it only after confirming the same files are still in iCloud Drive (check iCloud.com) or in a backup.\n\nBecause it's no longer an iCloud folder, Storage Studio's rules and duplicate finder treat it like any other local folder.","tags":["icloud drive","archive","folders"],"related":[{"id":"icloud.what-happens-to-icloud-files-if-i-sign-out-or-turn-off-icloud-drive","question":"What happens to my iCloud Drive files if I turn off iCloud Drive or sign out?","url":"/faq/icloud/what-happens-to-icloud-files-if-i-sign-out-or-turn-off-icloud-drive"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"What is the iCloud Drive (Archive) folder in my home folder? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"It's a local, no-longer-synced copy macOS keeps when you turn off iCloud Drive or sign out and keep your files. It can be large: keep it, move it to an external drive with Data Parking, or delete it once you've confirmed the files are in iCloud.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"iCloud & iCloud Photos","path":"/faq/icloud/"},{"name":"What is the iCloud Drive (Archive) folder in my home folder?","path":"/faq/icloud/what-is-the-icloud-drive-archive-folder"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/icloud/what-is-the-icloud-drive-archive-folder","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What is the iCloud Drive (Archive) folder in my home folder?","alternateName":["iCloud Drive (Archive) folder Mac","Can I delete iCloud Drive Archive?","Why do I have an iCloud Drive Archive folder?","Large iCloud Archive folder taking space","Move iCloud Drive Archive to external drive"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"It's a local copy macOS keeps when you turn off iCloud Drive or sign out and choose to keep your files. It's an ordinary folder on your Mac, no longer synced, and it can be large.\n\nWhat you can do with it:\n\n- Keep it if those files aren't in iCloud anymore and you still need them.\n- Move it to an external drive — it's a normal local folder, so Storage Studio's Data Parking can relocate it to your fast drive.\n- Delete it only after confirming the same files are still in iCloud Drive (check iCloud.com) or in a backup.\n\nBecause it's no longer an iCloud folder, Storage Studio's rules and duplicate finder treat it like any other local folder.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/icloud/what-is-the-icloud-drive-archive-folder"}}]},"fragment":"
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iCloud & iCloud Photos · iCloud Drive basics

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What is the iCloud Drive (Archive) folder in my home folder?

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Short answer: It's a local, no-longer-synced copy macOS keeps when you turn off iCloud Drive or sign out and keep your files. It can be large: keep it, move it to an external drive with Data Parking, or delete it once you've confirmed the files are in iCloud.

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It's a local copy macOS keeps when you turn off iCloud Drive or sign out and choose to keep your files. It's an ordinary folder on your Mac, no longer synced, and it can be large.

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What you can do with it:

\n
  • Keep it if those files aren't in iCloud anymore and you still need them.
  • Move it to an external drive — it's a normal local folder, so Storage Studio's Data Parking can relocate it to your fast drive.
  • Delete it only after confirming the same files are still in iCloud Drive (check iCloud.com) or in a backup.
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Because it's no longer an iCloud folder, Storage Studio's rules and duplicate finder treat it like any other local folder.

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Last reviewed

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