Remove faded folders in iCloud Drive

Question

Some apps create their own folder in the iCloud Drive. Because I want to see everything all the time I enabled show hidden files (like here).

So this is how my iCloud Drive folder looks like:

Problem

I do not need the faded out folders "PrinterPro", "Sprit-Rechner", "PDF Expert", "PRINT" and "Trails" and I can't delete them. They will just come back.

Solution Attempt

The left side of the picture shows my iCloud Drive settings where you can enable or disable some folders, but the faded out do not show up there. I also tried to reinstall the apps but I can't find any option for iCloud folders.

Answer 1

I was able to delete the hidden folders that existed in the root of my iCloud Drive from iOS and macOS that apps I'd previously deleted from my devices.

I'm using macOS Catalina version 10.15.2 but this may work on earlier versions of macOS.

1. Open Terminal.app and type this but do not press return yet:

   rm -rf 
   

2. Make sure there is a space after the "f" at the end of the command

3. In Finder, open the iCloud Drive folder and change it to List view (command+2) so you can easily see all of the hidden folders.

4. Select all of the folders you want to delete, then drag them in to the Terminal window. It will automatically add the path of the folders to the command, separated by spaces.

   So the command would look something like this:

   rm -rf /Users/username/Library/Mobile\ Documents/com~apple~Automator/Documents /Users/username/Library/Mobile\ Documents/com~apple~ScriptEditor2/Documents /Users/username/Library/Mobile\ Documents/com~apple~TextEdit/Documents /Users/username/Library/Mobile\ Documents/com~apple~QuickTimePlayerX/Documents /Users/username/Library/Mobile\ Documents/6LVTQB9699~com~seriflabs~affinitydesigner/Documents /Users/username/Library/Mobile\ Documents/iCloud~net~doo~scanbot~vpp/Documents /Users/username/Library/Mobile\ Documents/com~apple~Numbers/Documents /Users/username/Library/Mobile\ Documents/F6266T9T75~com~apple~iMovie/Documents /Users/username/Library/Mobile\ Documents/com~apple~Keynote/Documents /Users/username/Library/Mobile\ Documents/WUGMZZ5K46~com~bohemiancoding~sketch/Documents /Users/username/Library/Mobile\ Documents/iCloud~com~readdle~Scanner~PDF/Documents  /Users/username/Library/Mobile\ Documents/iCloud~is~workflow~my~workflows/Documents /Users/username/Library/Mobile\ Documents/F3LWYJ7GM7~com~apple~garageband10/Documents /Users/username/Library/Mobile\ Documents/com~apple~Preview/Documents 
   

5. Press return. It may ask you for your computer password.

6. After running the command, nothing will happen in the iCloud Drive window.

   The only two things I observed at this point that were different from before were:

   a. When clicking on of one of the folders, the Finder Path Bar will show iCloud > and the folder's icon, but will not show the folder name

   b. Dragging the folder to Terminal again does nothing - it does not generate the text path like before.

7. Restart your Mac

8. Return to iCloud Drive in Finder and the hidden folders should be gone.

Answer 2

Just a note for Sonoma:

I did see many folder inside "/Users/MYUSER/Library/Mobile Documents" (replace MYUSER with our name)

it seems it saves ALL folders for ANY app you installed, if those app did use iCloud.

Even if you delete apps, they remains (even if empty).

I did try to delete forcing so for example:

cd " /Users/MYUSER/Library/Mobile Documents" (replace our name...) using

ls -lah

I see:

iCloud~ph~telegra~Telegraph
iCloud~us~zoom~videomeetings

if I try to delete using "brute force":

sudo rm -R -f "iCloud~ph~telegra~Telegraph"

Folder disappears for a couple of seconds but reappear. No way to delete forever.