iCloud "remove download" button disappeared

because is a stupid bug, but actually worked also in my case. I toggled off the iCloud sync, restarted and toggled on the option again. After iCloud stopped downloading I activated the optimize storage option and paradoxically got remove download back. I removed folders that I don’t want and turned optimize storage off to avoid ugly surprises later. The remove download disappeared again but I have iCloud as I want .

Same here. Files and Folders in iCloud cannot be evicted anymore since macOS Sonoma update. The 'remove download' button (available before with Option+right click in Finder on the iCloud related files/folders) disappeared. Even the Terminal command that could be used doesn't work anymore. Backup software (like ChronoSync ... they are aware of the problem) that allowed to backup selectively files and folders to the iCloud can't evict files after upload anymore.

So the functionality to evict files/folders on local machines is gone and this will hopefully be fixed by Apple soon. Or else how do new storage plans like 6TB and 12TB make any sense when your data is doubled and put into the Library>'iCloud Drive' folder without being evicted after upload to iCloud ??? Apple you can do better, because 6TB and 12TB storage plans are not just here for syncing data (documents, desktop and download folders) between Mac and iOS devices.

I did as you figured out and I turned on the option "Optimise Mac Storage". And yes, I was able to evict all the files that I wanted in selected folders with the 'Remove download' button that got back. I sometimes had to select subdirectories and their content as the 'Remove download' did not reliably populate on the whole directories tree.

Then all was fine for 2 days, but today, without intervention from my side, the files residing in the iCloud started to get downloaded onto my Mac again. 😬

I now turned off the 'Optimise Mac Storage' option. But with that, as we know now, the 'Remove download' button disappeared again and nothing can get evicted locally. With that new uploads to iCloud will reside and get doubled on the Mac's Library folder again.

This is simply unpredictable, inconsistent and leaves me with an unusable iCloud. That behaviour makes 6TB+ iCloud storage plans completely unusable.

This should be fixed and properly documented soon or I will have to look elsewhere for backing up to the Cloud.

What you describe is not an issue. iCloud is a synchronization service, not offline storage. If you use iCloud Drive on your Mac, anything that you sync remains on your device. Should you elect to optimize, your least accessed/largest files may be removed to iCloud only should space become needed on your Mac. Electing remove download may move a file to iCloud, albeit possibly only temporarily. iCloud will always try to sync data to your Mac if possible; a process over which the user has no control.

This is so strange cause optimize my Mac should auto keep your iCloud files and remove download is the manual mode. Everything works as expected? I have this problem too, no problems before the update …

Are we really talking about this setting? Because if you toggle this on it should download everything to your Mac which is exactly the opposite of what I want.

I am quite a bit hesitant to try this actually.

Exactly! Completely agree. Sane behavior in my case. But worst, in some point the SSD space run out and I was no even able to start my MacStudio ! So be careful! Sonoma + iCloud crash your Mac OS. Embarrassing Apple what are you doing? Blue Screen…?

@muguy: You state this opinion that iCloud is 'only' a synchronization service for a very long time in your various posts. Which might have been true in the past. But now you should tell us what a 6TB or even a 12TB iCloud plan that Apple offers since a few months is designed to? I guess your argument doesn't hold anymore, right? You can't buy a Mac with an internal boot drive of 12TB or even 24TB from Apple and that would be needed to make sense for such an iCloud plan. 6TB to backup equals (needs) 12TB internal HD as every bit sent to iCloud is doubled in the library folder of your Mac (if not evicted after transfer to the iCloud).

Therefore maybe we should let Apple clarify for their intended and proper usage by offering 6TB and 12TB plans for their customers.

i did optimize , but from my side is not working, i mean remove download is not an option

I'm also troubled by this issue

Does anyone have any fix to this :(

@apple