Where Does iCloud Drive Cache Files Locally?
iCloud Drive files cache locally in the Mobile Documents folder, the real location behind Finder's cloud view.
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Finder's iCloud Drive is a view, not a folder. The actual cached files live in Mobile Documents inside your Library, organized per app with opaque container names.
That indirection explains every iCloud mystery. Disk-hungry Macs hold full copies here; space-saving ones keep stubs that download on open. Browse it to audit what iCloud really occupies, but move files through Finder so the sync engine tracks the change.
Where macOS stores this, by platform
~/Library/Mobile Documents
Per-app iCloud containers with locally cached files. Browse to audit space, but move and delete through Finder so sync stays consistent.
Frequently asked questions
A file shows in Finder but opens slowly. Why?
Open the file once while online and wait for the download to finish. The cloud icon in Finder marks what is remote-only; no icon means it sits in Mobile Documents already.
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