Numbers error: not enough space in iCloud

Question

I recently maxed out my iCloud storage for a few weeks, meaning things like backups and photo uploading would not work. Eventually, I deleted some unwanted files, and now there is plenty of free space (>20 GB).

During this time, I made some edits to a Numbers spreadsheet that is stored and shared via iCloud. Now, whenever I open the document in macOS, I get this error (next to the word "Shared" on the title bar):

There is not enough space to save this document to iCloud. Purchase additional storage or remove some documents from iCloud.

I can dismiss the error, but it comes back every time I open the document.

There is also a dotted cloud with an exclamation mark that appears next to the document in Finder.

I can make a duplicate of the spreadsheet and delete the old one, but doing so will invalidate existing shared URLs, etc.

Is there a way to force iCloud to refresh its "not enough space" check?

macOS: 10.13.6 Numbers: 5.3

If it's relevant, I'm using shared family storage—my account is not the one that purchased the iCloud storage.

Answer 1

This sort of weirdness sometimes comes about with versions and saved application state where the application doesn't want to let go of some data you added.

Do you have a Time Machine backup of the file in question? If not - be sure to copy out any data or log into the cloud version of numbers to be sure you have a cloud version you can live with.

Then clear the saved application state for Numbers by moving this file to your desktop or placing it in the trash can:

~/Library/Containers/com.apple.iWork.Numbers/Data/Library

If you don't have a good backup, I'd get one before deleting anything from your Saved State folders in ~/Library and if the Autosave Information and Saved Application State folders are empty you may need to delete the entire container.

If you're not sure about navigating to ~/Library which is hidden or restoring these files from a backup - Apple Support might be a good place to reach out to, but if you're familiar with moving things from the Library - I've seen clearing these help with oddball errors that you know aren't correct anymore.