Tidy MacWith Optimize Mac Storage on, iCloud Drive keeps recently opened files on your Mac and replaces older ones with download-on-demand placeholders when space runs low. It acts only when the disk is getting full. To free space now, right-click a file or folder in iCloud Drive in Finder and choose Remove Download; the file stays in iCloud.
- Open System Settings, click your name, then iCloud.
- Turn on iCloud Drive, and Optimize Mac Storage.
- Optionally turn on Desktop & Documents Folders to store them in iCloud.
- To free space now, right-click big folders in iCloud Drive and choose Remove Download.
- Keep files you need offline with Keep Downloaded (macOS 15 and later).
What Optimize Mac Storage does
iCloud Drive normally keeps a full copy of every file on your Mac. With Optimize Mac Storage on, macOS may remove the local copy of files you haven't opened in a while when your disk gets low, leaving a placeholder with a cloud icon. Double-click it and it downloads again. Your files stay in iCloud and count against your iCloud plan.
Turn it on
- Open System Settings and click your name at the top of the sidebar.
- Click iCloud. Make sure iCloud Drive is on.
- Turn on Optimize Mac Storage. Depending on your macOS version, it's on the iCloud page itself or inside the iCloud Drive settings.
- Optional: turn on Desktop & Documents Folders so those folders live in iCloud Drive too.
You can also reach it from System Settings › General › Storage, under Recommendations, Store in iCloud.
Free space now: Remove Download
Optimize waits until space is low. To free space today, open iCloud Drive in Finder, right-click a big file or folder and choose Remove Download. The local copy goes; the file stays in iCloud with a download icon.
On macOS 15 Sequoia and later, the same menu has Keep Downloaded for files you always want offline, such as a project you work on on a plane.
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Why the space doesn't always come back
- The upload isn't finished. A file can't be removed locally until iCloud has it. Check the status in Finder's sidebar next to iCloud Drive.
- macOS decides when. Files removed by Optimize count as purgeable first; Finder shows them as available before they're actually gone.
- Your iCloud plan is full. Nothing new uploads, so nothing can be removed locally.
- The files aren't in iCloud Drive. Optimize only covers iCloud Drive (and Desktop & Documents if you turned that on), not Downloads or app data.
Photos is separate
iCloud Photos has its own setting. In Photos › Settings › iCloud, choose Optimize Mac Storage to keep smaller versions on your Mac and full-size originals in iCloud.
Where Tidy Mac fits
Tidy Mac counts iCloud-only files as zero, because they aren't using your disk, so its numbers show what's really stored on your Mac. Space Map shows which folders still hold downloaded copies. Pricing
Frequently asked questions
Does Remove Download delete the file?
No. It removes only the copy on your Mac. The file stays in iCloud Drive and downloads again when you open it.
Why is Optimize Mac Storage not freeing space?
It only acts when your disk is low, files must be fully uploaded first, and it covers only iCloud Drive. Use Remove Download to free space right away.
Is it safe to turn on Desktop & Documents Folders?
Yes, but those files then depend on iCloud: they count against your plan, and on other Macs signed in to the same account they appear too. Keep a separate backup, such as Time Machine.
Does turning off iCloud Drive delete my files?
macOS asks whether to keep a copy on this Mac. Files that were only in iCloud are not downloaded automatically, so download what you need first.