Return to Answer

update 2022: this method doesn't work anymore. you need to change the directory name to *.nosync, as described in other answers.

Adding one empty file named .nosync to a folder will prevent that folder from syncing.

You can also use this as a file extension to specific files, but the folder treatment is quite useful.

Once you've had a folder sync, you can now also prevent it from syncing on some (or all endpoints) with a utility named Bailiff, if for some reason you don't want just to delete the files from iCloud entirely and instead want to prevent the next "initial" sync.

• https://eclecticlight.co/downloads/

Update 2022

This method doesn't work anymore. you need to change the directory name to *.nosync, as described in other answers.

Adding one empty file named .nosync to a folder will prevent that folder from syncing.

You can also use this as a file extension to specific files, but the folder treatment is quite useful.

Once you've had a folder sync, you can now also prevent it from syncing on some (or all endpoints) with a utility named Bailiff, if for some reason you don't want just to delete the files from iCloud entirely and instead want to prevent the next "initial" sync.

• https://eclecticlight.co/downloads/

Adding one empty file named .nosync to a folder will prevent that folder from syncing.

You can also use this as a file extension to specific files, but the folder treatment is quite useful.

Once you've had a folder sync, you can now also prevent it from syncing on some (or all endpoints) with a utility named Bailiff, if for some reason you don't want just to delete the files from iCloud entirely and instead want to prevent the next "initial" sync.

• https://eclecticlight.co/downloads/

update 2022: this method doesn't work anymore. you need to change the directory name to *.nosync, as described in other answers.

Adding one empty file named .nosync to a folder will prevent that folder from syncing.

You can also use this as a file extension to specific files, but the folder treatment is quite useful.

Once you've had a folder sync, you can now also prevent it from syncing on some (or all endpoints) with a utility named Bailiff, if for some reason you don't want just to delete the files from iCloud entirely and instead want to prevent the next "initial" sync.

• https://eclecticlight.co/downloads/

Adding one empty file named .nosync to a folder will avoid that folder from syncing up.

You can also use this as a file extension to specific files, but the folder treatment is quite useful.

Once you've had a folder sync up, you can now also evict it from syncing on some (or all endpoints) with a handy utility named Bailiff if for some reason you don't want to just delete the files from iCloud entirely and prevent the next "initial" sync up.

• https://eclecticlight.co/downloads/

Adding one empty file named .nosync to a folder will prevent that folder from syncing.

You can also use this as a file extension to specific files, but the folder treatment is quite useful.

Once you've had a folder sync, you can now also prevent it from syncing on some (or all endpoints) with a utility named Bailiff, if for some reason you don't want just to delete the files from iCloud entirely and instead want to prevent the next "initial" sync.

• https://eclecticlight.co/downloads/