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# startDownloadingUbiquitousItem(at:)

Starts downloading (if necessary) the specified item to the local system.

```
func startDownloadingUbiquitousItem(at url: URL) throws
```

## Parameters

`url`

The URL for the file or directory in the cloud that you want to download.

## Discussion

If a cloud-based file or directory has not been downloaded yet, calling this method starts the download process. If the item exists locally, calling this method synchronizes the local copy with the version in the cloud.

For a given URL, you can determine if a file is downloaded by getting the value of the [`NSMetadataUbiquitousItemDownloadingStatusKey`](/documentation/Foundation/NSMetadataUbiquitousItemDownloadingStatusKey) key. You can also use related keys to determine the current progress in downloading the file.

> Handling Errors in Swift:
> In Swift, this method returns `Void` and is marked with the `throws` keyword to indicate that it throws an error in cases of failure.
> 
> You call this method in a `try` expression and handle any errors in the `catch` clauses of a `do` statement, as described in [Error Handling](https://docs.swift.org/swift-book/LanguageGuide/ErrorHandling.html) in [The Swift Programming Language](https://docs.swift.org/swift-book/) and `About Imported Cocoa Error Parameters`.

---

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