I set up a shared folder using a family member's iCloud account to help scan and upload SD cards and old photos. My goal was to share these files with other family members without taking up space on my computer. However, after transferring everything, my computer is still full, and it's frustrating. Even after the transfer, restarting my computer only frees up some space, not all of it. Plus, iCloud keeps downloading random photos from various folders, which fills up my hard drive. I can't easily uncheck the shared folder to stop it from downloading these files. Now, I'm worried about inviting older family members to this shared folder since it could fill their computers as well. Am I missing something, or is iCloud Drive just not practical for sharing and offloading files?
2 Answers
Honestly, iCloud isn't the best option for what you're trying to do. While 'Optimize Mac Storage' can help, it doesn't give you precise control over downloads. For better management, you might want to consider alternatives like Dropbox or Google Drive instead.
Have you checked if 'Optimize Mac Storage' is enabled? When this setting is on, it can offload files to iCloud, but you lose some control over what's downloaded locally.
I have it on for some apps but under iCloud, I prefer not to enable 'Store in iCloud' on this computer.
Thanks for the advice! I’m thinking about switching to Google Drive, but it stinks that I'll have to pay for that service since I already have iCloud storage.