I've been trying to help a family member by creating a shared folder on their iCloud account. The goal is to upload files from their SD cards and old photo scans so that other family members can access them too. However, after transferring everything, my computer is almost full. I thought iCloud would let me offload files without storing anything locally, but it seems that's not happening. Restarting helps a little, but iCloud keeps downloading random photos from various folders, filling up my storage again. I can't seem to prevent it from doing this and I'm worried about inviting older family members to the shared folder because it might overload their computers. Am I missing something, or is iCloud just not the right tool for this purpose?
3 Answers
Yeah, iCloud isn't the best for file sharing like this. You could end up having to manage downloads for each folder manually. It's a hassle! If you're looking for a more user-friendly solution for file sharing, Google Drive might be a better fit for you, but it does come with a subscription cost.
Have you checked if 'Optimize Mac Storage' is enabled? It might help manage the space by offloading files that you haven’t accessed recently, but you won't have much control over what gets offloaded when. If you really want more control, consider switching to something like Dropbox instead.
I feel your pain! It sounds like a real headache. Unfortunately, there’s no setting to stop a shared folder from auto-downloading files, at least not without going through each one. If you’re helping someone else, it's frustrating to deal with these issues. Have you thought about just using a direct link to share files instead?
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