How to Stop Specific Folders from Syncing to iCloud

• User Case: How to Exclude Certain Folders from iCloud Drive Sync
• How Does iCloud Sync Folders?
• Stop Specific Folders from Syncing to iCloud [4 Ways]
• Bonus Tip: Automatically Sync Files from Another Cloud to iCloud
• Conclusion

User Case: How to Exclude Certain Folders from iCloud Drive Sync

This post will give you 4 ways to stop specific folders from syncing to iCloud, including adding a file extension, disabling Desktop & Documents sync, moving files out of iCloud, and disabling iCloud Drive for specific apps.

How Does iCloud Sync Folders?

iCloud sync folders via iCloud Drive, a cloud-based file storage platform that lets you store and retrieve files from any Apple device. Any other device linked to the same iCloud account can access files or folders you save in iCloud Drive because they are automatically synced to iCloud.

Stop Specific Folders from Syncing to iCloud [4 Ways]

As mentioned before, there are 4 ways you can try to prevent a folder to sync to iCloud. The most recommended way is to add an extension to the folder you do not want to sync with iCloud. By doing so, you can also sync other folders to iCloud. Otherwise, you can choose to disable Desktop & Documents sync or iCloud Drive for some apps. However, these 2 ways also prevent other folders from syncing to iCloud. The last method is moving files out of iCloud. The drawback of this method is sometimes you may not find the syncing folder, so you cannot move files from the folder.

Way 1. Add a File Extension to the Folder

Step 1. Navigate to the folder you want to sync to iCloud or create a new folder on your device.

Step 2. Rename the folder and add .nosync at the end of the folder name.

Step 3. When you see a cloud with a crossed-out cloud icon, it means this folder will not sync with iCloud but you can also access files in it on your device.

Way 2. Disable Desktop & Document Sync

Step 1. Go to System Settings on your Mac and tap on your Apple ID.

Step 2. Choose iCloud and then Drive.

Step 3. Toggle the button next to Desktop & Documents Folders. Then, folders in the Desktop and Documents directories will not sync with iCloud.

Way 3. Disable iCloud Drive for Specific Apps

Step 1. Go to System Settings on your Mac and tap on your Apple ID.

Step 2. Choose iCloud Drive under Apps Using iCloud.

Step 3. Click Apps syncing to iCloud Drive.

Step 4. Toggle the button next to the apps you do not want to sync with iCloud Drive.

Way 4. Move Folders out of iCloud

Step 1. Open Finder and select the folder you want to move out of iCloud.

Step 2. Drag the folder and drop it to a local destination or an external hard drive.

Step 3. Confirm to move this folder from iCloud Drive to unsync a folder with iCloud.

Bonus Tip: Automatically Sync Files from Another Cloud to iCloud

If you want to sync some folders from another cloud storage service like Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, pCloud, and MEGA with iCloud Drive, you can use MultCloud Cloud Sync. MultCloud is a professional cloud file transfer/sync/backup service and Cloud Sync is one of its popular functions that can real-time sync files between clouds without downloading and uploading.

Cloud Sync allows you to sync the entire cloud drive to iCloud or some specific folders or files to it. Besides, since MultCloud offers Real Time Sync, the modified files can be immediately updated to iCloud Drive, thus you can access these files on iCloud in time. Except for Real Time Sync, there are more sync modes you can apply to the sync task, such as Mirror Sync, Move Sync, Incremental Sync, Cumulative Sync, Full Backup Sync, Update Sync, and Two-way Sync.

To know more about the Cloud Sync function, let’s see the example steps for syncing folders from OneDrive to iCloud Drive.

Step 1. Enter the MultCloud website and sign up for a free account.

Step 2. Add OneDrive to MultCloud by clicking Add Cloud and the OneDrive logo. Then, log in to your OneDrive account and allow MultCloud to access your files.

Step 3. Add iCloud Drive to MultCloud with the same operations in Step 2. But this time you need to go through the two-factor authentication to log in to iCloud Drive.

Step 4. Select the Cloud Sync function in the left sidebar and choose the OneDrive folders in the FROM box while iCloud Drive in the TO box. Then, you can toggle the button to Real Time Sync if you need it.

Step 5. Tap the Sync Now button to start syncing folders from OneDrive to iCloud Drive.

Conclusion

There are 4 effective ways to stop specific folders from syncing to iCloud. Among them, adding the ".nosync" file extension to the folder is most recommended by other users and you can have a try.

What’s more, if you want to sync folders from another cloud like OneDrive, Dropbox, or Google Drive to iCloud, MultCloud Cloud Sync can be a great choice. It allows you to real-time sync files between the 2 clouds and you have multiple sync modes to choose from.