Add your Desktop and Documents files to iCloud Drive
When you store your Desktop and Documents folders in iCloud Drive, you can access the files from your Mac on all your devices.
Turn on Desktop & Documents Folders
On your Mac, from the Apple menu , choose System Settings.
Click your name, then click iCloud.
Click Drive (or iCloud Drive).
Below iCloud Drive, check that you turned on Sync this Mac.
Turn on Desktop & Documents Folders.
Click Done.
If you have more than one Mac, repeat this process on every Mac that you want to use with iCloud Drive.
If you also want to store your files with another cloud storage service
If you want to store your files in iCloud Drive and another cloud storage service, you can keep separate copies of your files in both. To store folders from a third-party cloud service, use a different place on your Mac, like the home folder.
If you use a feature from another cloud provider that syncs or manages your Desktop and Documents folders, you need to turn it off to use Desktop and Documents.
If you have media libraries
iCloud Drive won't upload these types of library files from your Desktop and Documents folder to your other devices:
iMovie libraries
Photos libraries
Aperture libraries
They're labeled as Ineligible in the Finder.
Find your Desktop and Documents files on your device
When you add your Desktop and Documents to iCloud Drive, all of your files move to iCloud and any new files you create are automatically stored in iCloud. Then you can find your files on all of your devices.
Your files sync with iCloud each time your device connects to the internet. Depending on your internet speed, the time it takes for you to see your files on your other devices might vary.
On your Mac
In macOS Tahoe 26 or later, you can find your Desktop and Documents folders in iCloud Drive in the Finder sidebar, under Favorites. Each folder has a cloud icon
next to its name.In earlier versions of macOS, you can find your Desktop and Documents folders in the iCloud section of the Finder sidebar.
If you add a second Mac Desktop, you can find those files in the Desktop folder in iCloud Drive. The folder has the same name as your second Mac.
You can also use Spotlight to search for a file.
On your iPhone or iPad
Open the Files app.
Tap Browse.
Under Locations, tap iCloud Drive.
Tap the Desktop or Documents folders.
You can use any compatible app to access and edit your files.
On iCloud.com
Sign in to your Apple Account on iCloud.com.
Go to iCloud Drive.
Double-click the Desktop or Documents folders.
To edit or use the file, click the Download button
to download it. When you're done, upload the file to iCloud Drive so that the latest version syncs across your devices. You can edit Pages, Numbers, or Keynote files on the web, and changes save directly to iCloud Drive.
Delete files from Desktop and Documents folders
The files that you keep in Desktop and Documents folders in iCloud Drive are stored in iCloud and use your iCloud storage. When you delete a file on one device, it deletes on every device that you're signed in to with the same Apple Account. You can find deleted files in the Recently Deleted folder in the Files app or on iCloud.com for 30 days. After that, the deleted files are removed.
To free up local storage on your device without deleting the file, touch and hold the file, then select Remove Download.
Turn off Desktop & Documents Folders
When you turn off Desktop & Documents Folders on your Mac, your files stay in iCloud Drive, and new Desktop and Documents folders are created locally on your Mac in the home folder. If you turn off iCloud Drive or sign out of iCloud, new Desktop and Documents folders are created in your home folder and you can choose to keep a local copy of your files.
Learn what happens when you turn off Desktop & Documents Folders
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