---
title: "Keep opened files versus iCloud's Remove Download"
url: https://storagestudio.us/wiki/compared-with-remove-download
category: "Compared with macOS"
tags: ["finder", "cloud accounts", "comparison"]
summary: "Finder's Remove Download makes an iCloud Drive item online-only when you ask. Storage Studio's Keep opened files on this Mac does it automatically after a time you choose."
updated: 2026-10-01T05:32:28.000Z
---

# Keep opened files versus iCloud's Remove Download

Finder's Remove Download makes an iCloud Drive item online-only when you ask. Storage Studio's Keep opened files on this Mac does it automatically after a time you choose.

Finder's **Remove Download** and Storage Studio's **Keep opened files on this Mac** both turn downloaded cloud files back into [online-only](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-online-only-file) ones. One is a command you give each time; the other is a timer that does it for you.

## What Remove Download does

Right-click a file or folder in iCloud Drive in Finder and choose **Remove Download**. Its downloaded copy is removed straight away and it stays in iCloud, ready to download again when you open it. It happens only when you ask, for the items you select.

## What Keep opened files on this Mac does

This applies to files in the [Storage Studio location in Finder](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-storage-studio-location-in-finder) — the cloud accounts you've connected to Storage Studio. Open the **Mounting** tab of **Remotes & Accounts** and choose how long an opened file stays downloaded after you stop using it:

- **Don't keep (free space right away)**
- **6 hours**, **12 hours**, **24 hours** (the default), **2 days** or **1 week**
- **Forever (external drive only)** — offered only when the downloaded copies are kept on your external drive

Files that are open, or still uploading, are never removed. Choosing a shorter time frees space straight away.

```mermaid
%% caption: How a downloaded file goes back online-only
flowchart LR
  A[You open a cloud file] --> B[It downloads]
  B --> C{Which way back?}
  C -->|Remove Download in Finder| D[Online-only when you choose it]
  C -->|Keep opened files on this Mac| E[Online-only after the time you set]
```

*Flowchart — How a downloaded file goes back online-only. Outline:*

- You open a cloud file
  - leads to It downloads
- It downloads
  - leads to Which way back?
- Which way back?
  - Remove Download in Finder: leads to Online-only when you choose it
  - Keep opened files on this Mac: leads to Online-only after the time you set

## For your own iCloud Drive

Your own iCloud Drive isn't part of the Storage Studio location, so the timer doesn't apply to it. When you want a whole iCloud Drive folder made online-only at once, **Optimize Cloud Storage…** in the More menu does it in one pass, skipping files that are open.

See also: [Keep opened files on this Mac](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/keep-opened-files-on-this-mac) · [Storage Studio and Optimise Mac Storage](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/compared-with-optimise-mac-storage)

- **Can I see all my cloud accounts in Finder on a Mac?** Yes. Storage Studio adds a "Storage Studio" location to Finder's sidebar, with each connected cloud account and paired device as a folder inside, and a Finder button in the app's main window opens it. Files stay in the cloud until you open them. Folders you have visited open straight away and… (https://storagestudio.us/faq)
- **Will opening cloud files in Finder fill up my Mac?** No. Only files you actually open are downloaded, and you choose how long they stay on your Mac once you stop using them — from not at all up to a week, 24 hours by default (and longer when the drive keeps its copies on your external drive). After that they go back to being online-only and the… (https://storagestudio.us/faq)
- **Is a locked Delta Drive folder the same as Finder's Locked checkbox?** No. Finder's own Locked checkbox (in Get Info) only stops a file being changed or deleted by accident, and anyone using your Mac can untick it — it doesn't keep anyone out. A locked Delta Drive folder does: it opens only in Storage Studio on your Mac, with your 6-digit PIN and a one-time code we… (https://storagestudio.us/faq)

## What links here

- [Keep opened files on this Mac](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/keep-opened-files-on-this-mac)
- [Optimise Cloud Storage Locally](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/optimise-cloud-storage-locally)
- [Storage Studio and Optimise Mac Storage](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/compared-with-optimise-mac-storage)