Sync your Mac's Desktop and Documents to iCloud, or stop syncing them

Why it happens

With Desktop & Documents Folders on, those two folders live in iCloud Drive instead of only on this Mac. That lets you open the same files on your iPhone, iPad and other Macs, and it uses your iCloud storage. Many people switch it on during setup without noticing, and then wonder why their desktop is in the cloud.

How to fix it

1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings and click your name at the top of the sidebar. Then click iCloud, and click Drive.

2. Switch Desktop & Documents Folders on to sync, or off to stop. Click Done.

   Apple Account›iCloud›Drive›Desktop & Documents Folders

3. If you switched it on, give it time. Your files upload in the background, and a small progress circle shows next to iCloud Drive in the Finder sidebar until it's done.

4. If you switched it off, read the message before you confirm. Your files are not deleted: they stay in iCloud Drive, in folders called Desktop and Documents, and the Mac starts fresh, empty ones.

5. To bring your files back onto the Mac, open Finder, click iCloud Drive in the sidebar, open its Desktop folder, select everything and drag it onto your Mac's own Desktop. Do the same for Documents.

   Finder›iCloud Drive›Desktop

Still not fixed?

1. If some files show a cloud icon, they're only stored in iCloud. Control-click them in iCloud Drive and choose Download Now before you move them, so the full file comes back to your Mac.

   Finder›iCloud Drive›Download Now

2. To stop files being swapped out to the cloud to save space, turn off Optimize Mac Storage in the same Drive settings. Your Mac then keeps a full copy of everything.

   Apple Account›iCloud›Drive›Optimize Mac Storage

3. On iPhone or iPad, your synced Mac desktop is in the Files app. Tap Browse, then iCloud Drive, then Desktop. If it's not there, check that iCloud Drive is on for that device in Settings under your name and iCloud.

4. If you use this on two Macs, they share one Desktop folder and one Documents folder in iCloud Drive. Only the files the second Mac already had when you turned it on go into a subfolder named after that Mac.

5. If files seem missing from both your Mac and iCloud Drive, check Recently Deleted on iCloud.com before anything else. If you still can't find them, contact Apple Support.