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How to Permanently Remove Old iCloud App Folders from Mobile Documents on macOS?

1 vote
1 answer
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On my MacBook, when I navigate to the iCloud directory via Terminal with the command:
cd ~/Library/Mobile\ Documents
I see multiple folders related to old iCloud-connected apps that I no longer use or have installed. Most of these folders are empty (0B in size), but they persist in the directory. For example:
ls
27N4MQEA55~pro~writer
3L68KQB4HG~com~readdle~CommonDocuments
57T9237FN3~net~whatsapp~WhatsApp
5U8NS4GX82~com~dayoneapp~dayone
...
iCloud~dk~simonbs~Scriptable
iCloud~fm~overcast~overcast
I’ve attempted to delete them using the following commands:
sudo rm -rf [file/folder_name]
or
find . -type f -size 0 -delete
However, the folders either persist or reappear immediately upon running ls again. Additionally, when I check System Settings > Apple ID > iCloud > “Show All” (linked apps), these apps do not appear in the list of connected services. Apps such as Pro Writer, Day One, Scriptable, and Overcast, which I have no current association with, still appear in the Mobile Documents folder. My goal: I want to clean up the Mobile Documents directory to make it easier to navigate and manage files for currently used apps. Questions: 1. How can I permanently remove these obsolete folders? 2. Is there a way to force a sync reset or clean stale app references from iCloud storage? 3. Could these folders be reappearing due to a macOS or iCloud background process? Any insights or solutions would be greatly appreciated.
Asked by tedioustortoise (144 rep)
Jan 24, 2025, 05:26 PM
Last activity: Jul 19, 2025, 05:22 PM