One of the new macOS features thatβs already available via the Sierra beta, is the ability to automatically sync the entire contents of your Desktop and Documents folders with your iCloud account.
In the pre-Sierra world, if you wanted to sync a file with iCloud then you had to go to the effort of manually placing that file in your iCloud Drive folder. But, in Sierra and higher every file you save to your Desktop and Documents is automatically uploaded to a corresponding Desktop/Documents folder in your iCloud Drive.
Once you enable this βiCloud Drive Desktop and Documentsβ feature, youβll be able to access the whole of your MacBookβs Desktop and Documents from any device, simply by logging into your iCloud account. This is particularly valuable as, if youβre anything like me, you store 99% of your files in these two folders.
So, how do you create this sync between your Desktop and Documents folders, and iCloud?
Enabling iCloud Drive Desktop and Documents
Firstly, this feature is only available in the Sierra beta and higher, so make sure youβve upgraded to Sierra if you havenβt already. Then, to create the link between your local folders and your iCloud Drive account:
- Select the Apple logo from your MacBookβs menu bar, followed by βAbout This Mac.β
- Make sure the βStorageβ tab is selected.
- Select βDetailsβ from the window that appears.
- In the βSystem Informationβ window, make sure βRecommendationsβ is selected, and then click βStore in iCloud.β
At this point, make sure you read the disclaimer as it contains important information about iCloud Driveβs βOptimize Mac Storageβ feature. Essentially, when your MacBookβs getting low on storage, only the most recently-opened files and folders will be stored in your local Desktop and Documents; the rest will be stored in iCloud Drive only. This means that even though youβll be able to access these items via your iCloud Drive account, they wonβt be available locally on your MacBook.
This feature is enabled by default, but if you donβt like the thought of Sierra automatically removing files and folders from your laptop, you can disable it once you have iCloud Drive Desktop and Documents up and running β Iβll show you how later in this article.
For now, click βStore in iCloud.β
At the time of writing, you wonβt see a message confirming that this feature is enabled, but if you open your Macβs βFinderβ youβll see that the βDesktopβ and βDocumentsβ folders now appear under the βiCloudβ section of the side-menu.
And thatβs it! From this point onwards, any items you add to your Documents folder or Desktop will automatically sync to your iCloud account.
Disabling Optimize Mac Storage
As already mentioned, βOptimize Mac Storageβ automatically removes files and folders from your local Desktop and Documents once storage starts to get low. If you donβt like the sound of this, you can always disable this feature:
- Open your βSystem Preferencesβ and select βiCloud.β
- Select βiCloud Driveβ and give its corresponding βOptionsβ¦β button a click.
- Deselect the βOptimize Mac Storageβ checkbox.
- Select βDone.β
Monitoring your iCloud Storage
The major downside to iCloud Drive Desktop and Documents (beside its awkwardly-long name!) is that youβll need to keep a close eye on your iCloud storage, because once this feature is enabled it can seriously gobble up those gigabytes β particularly if youβre in the habit of storing lots of large folders in your Desktop and/or Documents.
To check how much space you have left, open your MacBookβs βSystem Preferencesβ¦β and select βiCloud,β followed by βManage.β Youβll find the amount of space remaining in the upper-left corner. Β
This window is also where you can purchase some additional storage.
Sending Apple your Feedback
Donβt be surprised if you encounter any issues, errors, or other strange behaviour when youβre using this new iCloud Drive feature, as Sierra is still very much a beta release.
One of Appleβs main motivations for releasing betas, is so that people can test the software and report back on whatβs not working, so if you encounter any issues when using this new feature you should definitely let Apple know about it! The good news is that Sierra comes with a dedicated Feedback Assistant app that makes it easy to send Apple your feedback.
To launch Feedback Assistant:
- Open your MacBookβs βFinder.β
- Select the βApplicationsβ folder.
- Select βUtilities.β
- Double-click βFeedback Assistant.β
If this is the first time youβve launched the app, click βContinue,β read the terms and conditions, then click βAccept.β Enter your Apple ID and password, then click βSend us your feedback.β This launches a form where you can let Apple know exactly what problems youβre experiencing with this new iCloud feature β or even with Sierra in general!
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