So I updated a machine with a bunch of files on the Desktop and in the Documents folder, and when I upgraded it asked me if I wanted to store these folders on iCloud as well. I hit YES and it began trying to upload everything. Now, I guess I had a large file in one of the folders because the total upload was almost 9GB (i have 200GB of available iCloud space). It failed the upload and has just been stuck on 57kb of 8.89GB uploaded for over a day. I've tried restarting and it hasn't moved. I haven't found a way to quit it either. This has been making my machine incredibly slow and has caused the fans to speed up like crazy. Anytime I try to access an Open or Save dialog, the app I'm using crashes, whether it's Preview, Xcode, Photoshop, or even Safari.
So I went to the iCloud system preferences and unchecked the "Desktop and Documents" item. I figured it wouldn't delete things that were still locally saved on my disk. But I was wrong and now every single file on both my Desktop and in my Documents is gone. Not in the trash, nowhere to be found. Gone.
Can any one help me with this? Has anyone experienced something similar? The iCloud upload is still there and still isn't progressing at all (not sure what its trying to upload anyways since the files were all deleted). My computer is unusable and my files are all gone. I have a Time Machine backup from last week, but I will not have access to for almost 2 more weeks so if there's a way to recover my files sooner and kill this upload task, that would be amazing.
Thanks.
-
—
productnerd
-
—
Nematode
-
—
hiddendriveways
Add a Commenttick the DESKTOP & DOCUMENTS checkbox again and they will reappear as if nothing happened
The functionality seems to be that everything that you save on your "Desktop & Documents" folders will be wiped away once you uncheck the box in the iCloud settings. Above, @productnerd mentioned that you can just check that box again and all of your stuff will reappear.
Once you uncheck the box, it wipes away all of the files and saves it onto the iCloud drive. If you try to login to iCloud to view the restore function, you will not be able to see the files. If you check the box, all of the files will be downloaded from the cloud and restored back to your computer.
This functionality is very invasive, especially if you don't realize that all of that information is in the cloud.
Once you get your files back onto your computer, move the files out of Desktop or Documents folders, then you can uncheck those boxes if you don't want iCloud drive to sync those folders. You can move it back if you want, but any time you turn it back on and off, it will delete it from your computer.
This functionality deleted my wife's entire documents folder. At some point in the last 5 months, the save your "Desktop & Documents" to iCloud got checked accidentally, or perhaps a software update from Apple selected it for her, either way, this feature destroyed her work.
Call it this, call it that, but the way I see it, this is an intentional dark pattern to force people to pay for iCloud. It's beyond terrible for the user, it's a destructive shakedown for the contents of their wallet. One of my options right now is to give in and pay Apple a monthly subscription for Apple One.
That's not happening. Apple's approach to iCloud growth is shameful. This feature should not be a part of Mac OS. If you don't make it 100% clear to the user that they are about to delete their most important documents, you are makers of terrible software. There's no other way around it.