Unable to upload to iCloud

[Kalkanprince]

Hi All,

I previously had an older MacBook but with lots of storage and now have a MacBook Air with only 256gb storage, however I have 2TB of iCloud storage.

I have a lot of data, about 1TB on an external HDD that I would like to upload to iCloud given I have sufficient space, it would also be much better for my files to be in the cloud as opposed on a local external drive. However I do not seem to be able to upload them.

If I try and upload via the Finder, it just says insufficient space, so I assume its trying to copy the files to my local MacBook and then upload them?

If I try and upload via iCloud.com to bypass finder then Safari just crashes part way through the upload process, probably due to the size of the files.

Has anyone any ideas please? Surely this cannot be a scenario Apple didn't think about given the amount of iCloud data they now provide for sale.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Taz Mangus]

If I try and upload via the Finder, it just says insufficient space, so I assume its trying to copy the files to my local MacBook and then upload them?

Does iCloud Drive show up in the finder sidebar?

 

[Kalkanprince]

Hi Taz,

yes it does, I have files in iCloud but I don’t seem to be able to upload more than My local free storage if that makes sense, so can’t move files from the external HDD to iCloud.

 

[ian87w]

Not sure if this option is available on the Mac, but is there an option for "optimize mac storage" in settings? On iPhone, this option exist (mainly for Photos) that iCloud will automatically delete locally stored items when space is needed.

Also, I would copy the files in batches. You're not transferring your files directly to iCloud. Basically your mac will hold the files first while they are being uploaded to iCloud slowly (majority of internet speed is nowhere as fast as hard-drive speed). So don't expect to be able to dump the whole 1TB in one go as you're still limited by the internal storage of your Mac.

Here's some info from Apple. Hopefully that will help.

Free up storage space on Mac - Apple Support

Use any of these solutions to make more storage space available.

support.apple.com

 

[Brian33]

Not sure if this option is available on the Mac, but is there an option for "optimize mac storage" in settings?

Yes, look in System Preferences—iCloud—iCloud drive—Options button.

You need to either check or uncheck(can’t remember which) Optimize Mac Storage so that not all files are stored on your Mac (Since the Mac does not have enough storage space).