{"id":"icloud.why-free-icloud-in-one-step-but-not-google-drive-or-dropbox","url":"/faq/icloud/why-free-icloud-in-one-step-but-not-google-drive-or-dropbox","category":{"id":"icloud","title":"iCloud & iCloud Photos"},"subcategory":{"id":"storage-studio-and-icloud","title":"Storage Studio and iCloud"},"question":"Why can Storage Studio free an iCloud file in one tap but not always a Dropbox or Google Drive file?","alt_questions":["Free up button opens Finder for Google Drive","Why does Storage Studio show Remove Download for Dropbox?","Online-only works for iCloud only","Can't evict OneDrive files storage studio","Different behaviour iCloud vs Google Drive"],"short_answer":"A macOS rule: Storage Studio may free an iCloud file directly, but for Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive macOS limits other apps, so it opens Finder for the provider's own Remove Download. The result is the same — the file stays in the cloud.","answer_markdown":"It's a macOS rule, not a Storage Studio limit. macOS lets Storage Studio free an iCloud Drive file directly, so **Free up** in Storage Profile makes it online-only on the spot. For Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive, macOS limits what another app can do with those providers' downloaded files, so Storage Studio shows the file in Finder and points you to that provider's own **Remove Download**.\n\nThe result is the same either way: the file stays in the cloud and downloads again when you open it. For Google Drive you can also switch it to **Stream files** in its own settings so it stops keeping local copies.\n\nSee [cloud accounts](/faq/cloud-accounts/) for those providers.","answer_html":"

It's a macOS rule, not a Storage Studio limit. macOS lets Storage Studio free an iCloud Drive file directly, so Free up in Storage Profile makes it online-only on the spot. For Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive, macOS limits what another app can do with those providers' downloaded files, so Storage Studio shows the file in Finder and points you to that provider's own Remove Download.

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The result is the same either way: the file stays in the cloud and downloads again when you open it. For Google Drive you can also switch it to Stream files in its own settings so it stops keeping local copies.

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See cloud accounts for those providers.

","answer_text":"It's a macOS rule, not a Storage Studio limit. macOS lets Storage Studio free an iCloud Drive file directly, so Free up in Storage Profile makes it online-only on the spot. For Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive, macOS limits what another app can do with those providers' downloaded files, so Storage Studio shows the file in Finder and points you to that provider's own Remove Download.\n\nThe result is the same either way: the file stays in the cloud and downloads again when you open it. For Google Drive you can also switch it to Stream files in its own settings so it stops keeping local copies.\n\nSee cloud accounts for those providers.","tags":["icloud drive","google drive","dropbox","online-only"],"related":[{"id":"freeing-space.what-does-the-storage-profile-free-up-button-do","question":"What does the Free up button next to a cloud file in Biggest space-users do?","url":"/faq/freeing-space/what-does-the-storage-profile-free-up-button-do"},{"id":"icloud.what-does-online-only-mean-for-icloud-files","question":"What does online-only mean for an iCloud Drive file?","url":"/faq/icloud/what-does-online-only-mean-for-icloud-files"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"Why can Storage Studio free an iCloud file in one tap but not always a Dropbox or Google Drive file? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"A macOS rule: Storage Studio may free an iCloud file directly, but for Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive macOS limits other apps, so it opens Finder for the provider's own Remove Download. The result is the same — the file stays in the cloud.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"iCloud & iCloud Photos","path":"/faq/icloud/"},{"name":"Why can Storage Studio free an iCloud file in one tap but not always a Dropbox or Google Drive file?","path":"/faq/icloud/why-free-icloud-in-one-step-but-not-google-drive-or-dropbox"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/icloud/why-free-icloud-in-one-step-but-not-google-drive-or-dropbox","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Why can Storage Studio free an iCloud file in one tap but not always a Dropbox or Google Drive file?","alternateName":["Free up button opens Finder for Google Drive","Why does Storage Studio show Remove Download for Dropbox?","Online-only works for iCloud only","Can't evict OneDrive files storage studio","Different behaviour iCloud vs Google Drive"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"It's a macOS rule, not a Storage Studio limit. macOS lets Storage Studio free an iCloud Drive file directly, so Free up in Storage Profile makes it online-only on the spot. For Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive, macOS limits what another app can do with those providers' downloaded files, so Storage Studio shows the file in Finder and points you to that provider's own Remove Download.\n\nThe result is the same either way: the file stays in the cloud and downloads again when you open it. For Google Drive you can also switch it to Stream files in its own settings so it stops keeping local copies.\n\nSee cloud accounts for those providers.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/icloud/why-free-icloud-in-one-step-but-not-google-drive-or-dropbox"}}]},"fragment":"
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iCloud & iCloud Photos · Storage Studio and iCloud

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Why can Storage Studio free an iCloud file in one tap but not always a Dropbox or Google Drive file?

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Short answer: A macOS rule: Storage Studio may free an iCloud file directly, but for Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive macOS limits other apps, so it opens Finder for the provider's own Remove Download. The result is the same — the file stays in the cloud.

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It's a macOS rule, not a Storage Studio limit. macOS lets Storage Studio free an iCloud Drive file directly, so Free up in Storage Profile makes it online-only on the spot. For Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive, macOS limits what another app can do with those providers' downloaded files, so Storage Studio shows the file in Finder and points you to that provider's own Remove Download.

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The result is the same either way: the file stays in the cloud and downloads again when you open it. For Google Drive you can also switch it to Stream files in its own settings so it stops keeping local copies.

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See cloud accounts for those providers.

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Last reviewed

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