Does deleting a file from iCloud Drive delete it from my Mac?

Yes. iCloud Drive syncs, so deleting a file removes it everywhere. Use Remove Download instead to free space on the Mac while keeping the file in iCloud.

Does iCloud Drive count against my iCloud storage?

Yes. Everything in iCloud Drive counts against your iCloud plan, whether or not a copy is also on your Mac.

Where is iCloud Drive stored on my Mac?

In ~/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs. Finder shows it as iCloud Drive in the sidebar.

Quick answer

Does iCloud Drive take up space on a Mac?

By Vishva Variya · Updated November 7, 2026

Short answer

It depends on one setting. With Optimize Mac Storage off, Apple says the full contents of iCloud Drive stay on your Mac and use its disk. With it on, older files are kept only in iCloud when space is needed and download again when you open them. You can also free a single file or folder with Remove Download.

How to do it

1Choose Apple menu › System Settings and click your name.
2Click iCloud, then Drive.
3Turn on Optimize Mac Storage, or Control-click items in iCloud Drive in Finder and choose Remove Download.

The setting that decides it

Open Apple menu › System Settings, click your name at the top of the sidebar, click iCloud, then click Drive. Optimize Mac Storage is the switch.

Off: every file in iCloud Drive is downloaded and counts against your Mac’s storage as well as your iCloud plan. On: your Mac keeps recently opened files and moves older ones to iCloud only when more space is needed. If space isn’t needed, everything still stays on the Mac.

Desktop & Documents Folders

If Desktop & Documents Folders is turned on in the same iCloud Drive settings, Apple moves your Desktop and Documents folders into iCloud Drive. Those files then follow the same rule: on the Mac in full, or only in iCloud when Optimize Mac Storage is on and space is tight.

Free space one file at a time

In Finder, Control-click a file or folder in iCloud Drive and choose Remove Download. The copy on your Mac goes; the file stays in iCloud and downloads again when you open it. Items marked with the In iCloud status icon aren’t on the Mac yet; Control-click and choose Download Now to bring them down.

To make sure a folder is always on your Mac, Control-click it and choose Keep Downloaded.

Folders involved

~/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs

Where Peekaboo fits

Peekaboo’s Cloud Drives page lists iCloud Drive next to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive and Box, and every file shows whether it’s on this Mac or only in the cloud. Remove Download frees the local copy and Download Now brings a folder down, and browsing never downloads a file behind your back. Peekaboo’s search and Clean Up skip files that live only in iCloud on purpose, so nothing downloads just to be checked.

Questions

Does deleting a file from iCloud Drive delete it from my Mac?: Yes. iCloud Drive syncs, so deleting a file removes it everywhere. Use Remove Download instead to free space on the Mac while keeping the file in iCloud.
Does iCloud Drive count against my iCloud storage?: Yes. Everything in iCloud Drive counts against your iCloud plan, whether or not a copy is also on your Mac.
Where is iCloud Drive stored on my Mac?: In ~/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs. Finder shows it as iCloud Drive in the sidebar.