Is it possible to use a command in the command line to download a specific iCloud Drive folder? Searching for the opposite of evict which I know can be used to mark files as only online available, so they get removed.
MacBook Air (M2, 2022)
Hi Michael_t_24,
As of my last update, Apple does not provide a command-line tool or API for directly interacting with iCloud Drive folders or files. The iCloud Drive functionality is primarily accessed through the macOS Finder interface or through iOS and iPadOS devices.
However, if you want to automate downloading files from iCloud Drive using the command line, you can use AppleScript or a scripting language like Python along with macOS automation features.
Here is a simple example using AppleScript to download a specific iCloud Drive folder:
tell application "Finder" set sourceFolder to (POSIX file "/Users/yourusername/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs/FolderName") as string set targetFolder to (POSIX file "/path/to/destination/folder") as string duplicate sourceFolder to folder targetFolder end tell
Replace "yourusername" with your macOS username, "FolderName" with the name of the folder in iCloud Drive you want to download, and "/path/to/destination/folder" with the local directory where you want to save the downloaded folder.
Save the script to a file with a .applescript extension and execute it using the osascript command in the Terminal:
osascript scriptname.applescript
Remember, this script will only work on macOS and assumes that the iCloud Drive folder is located at the default path (~/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs/). Adjustments may be necessary based on your specific configuration.
Keep in mind that automating interactions with iCloud Drive in this way may have limitations and is not officially supported by Apple. Use it at your own risk, and make sure to test thoroughly.
Good luck!
Greetings
AntonBernad
Hi Michael_t_24,
As of my last update, Apple does not provide a command-line tool or API for directly interacting with iCloud Drive folders or files. The iCloud Drive functionality is primarily accessed through the macOS Finder interface or through iOS and iPadOS devices.
However, if you want to automate downloading files from iCloud Drive using the command line, you can use AppleScript or a scripting language like Python along with macOS automation features.
Here is a simple example using AppleScript to download a specific iCloud Drive folder:
tell application "Finder" set sourceFolder to (POSIX file "/Users/yourusername/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs/FolderName") as string set targetFolder to (POSIX file "/path/to/destination/folder") as string duplicate sourceFolder to folder targetFolder end tell
Replace "yourusername" with your macOS username, "FolderName" with the name of the folder in iCloud Drive you want to download, and "/path/to/destination/folder" with the local directory where you want to save the downloaded folder.
Save the script to a file with a .applescript extension and execute it using the osascript command in the Terminal:
osascript scriptname.applescript
Remember, this script will only work on macOS and assumes that the iCloud Drive folder is located at the default path (~/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs/). Adjustments may be necessary based on your specific configuration.
Keep in mind that automating interactions with iCloud Drive in this way may have limitations and is not officially supported by Apple. Use it at your own risk, and make sure to test thoroughly.
Good luck!
Greetings
AntonBernad
Awesome, thanks a lot. Something I was searching for a long time.
Downloading a Specific iCloud Drive Folder via Command Line