I indexed my iCloud Drive two days ago. I have since discovered that nearly all my files and folders that were manually created have been removed from iCloud Drive. The missing files and folders in question appear intact in my Devonthink Database. There is one folder displaying in both Devonthink and iCloud Drive. I am guessing this is a bug. Does anyone know how to troubleshoot this? I need to get my files back into iCloud Drive as many of them were shared with my personal iCloud account.
What is âtacticâ and where do I see that in your screenshots? And did you allow Apple to move files from your desktop/machine automagically to iCloud?
In addition to @chrillekâs questions, DEVONthink wonât delete file, ever, unless instructed by you. But Appleâs iCloud will delete files if you chose to âoptimise Mac Storageâ.
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DEVONthink wonât automatically move files into a database unless you are running scripts, smart rules, folder actions, Hazel rules, etc.
Why are you showing the Script menu?
I experienced a similar situation when indexing iCloud Drive. Some folders were indexed, some were moved, and some folders showed up in DT twice (indexed version and imported version). I chalked it up to the odd way that Apple implements iCloud Drive, as itâs for file storage, app data storage, syncing âŚ. Itâs very convoluted and quirky in my experience. This weirdness is compounded if you have iCloud set to âOptimize Mac Storageâ. In my case, I moved the folders that were MOVED to DT back to iCloud Drive, got rid of duplicates in DT, and now my iCloud index in DT only includes folders I manually created, nothing else. It was a bit messy to set up but is working as expected now. Given my experience, I donât think itâs a good idea to index an entire iCloud Drive at once. At least I wouldnât do it again or recommend it. I think the best way to go is to only index those specific folders that you really need to have indexed.
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I donât think itâs a good idea to index an entire iCloud Drive at once. At least I wouldnât do it again or recommend it.
I generally agree with this.
I think the best way to go is to only index those specific folders that you really need to have indexed.
This is something we have always advocated with indexing. Itâs also important to be judicious in Importing as well 
Sorry, that was a typo âintact.â No, I did not allow Apple to move my files from my desktop automagically to iCloud.
Thanks for the reply and info. I did not select âoptimize Mac Storageâ.
Thanks for sharing your experience. As suggested, I moved all the files and folders back into iCloud and deleted the duplicates in DT. When I did the initial index, I should note that only manually created folders were moved out of iCloud and into DT. The second time around, how did you index manually created folders and have them stay within iCloud? Did you initiate the index from the script menu?
For index OneDrive or Google Drive, does a similar behavior occur?
Since I had already indexed iCloud Drive, when I moved the folders back to iCloud it just updated the index in DT and everything seemed to be OK, but I think indexing with DT is a bit scary because if you delete and indexed folder in DT itâll also remove it from iCloud (actually itâll move the folder into Trash in DT).
Once you move the âmovedâ folders back to iCloud, you can repair/verify the database. Just donât delete anything until youâre sure âŚmy feeling after working with indexing in DT (with locations like iCloud that are doing their own synching things) is to avoid indexing these with DT altogether. Or just index one folder at a time and verify as you go. Itâs too easy for things to get confusing. I donât know what the behavior is for GDrive or OneDrive.
Oh man, I already moved everything back into iCloud and deleted the indexed files/folders in DT. So everything is back to the way it was before initiating the index. If I do another index to just one folder, will it be moved to DT again? If so, I will need to move the folder back to iCloud similar to how you did it?
If you have everything the way it was itâs a good time to test on a single folder. Perhaps create a test folder in iCloud Drive and throw a few files in there, then index it, and see how DT handles it. Play around with some data you arenât worried about. Once youâre comfortable with how itâs working, then move on to other folders if youâd like to proceed with indexing.
For me, the indexing is working so that if I add a folder/data in iCloud drive it shows up in DT instantly in my iCloud Drive group. Iâm not experiencing the issue where the folder is copied over at this point. If I remove a folder/file from iCloud it similarly is removed from the index in DT. For the folders I have indexed, I only add/remove stuff from iCloud. DT is just for the better search capabilities. Overall, though, my preference is to just import my stuff in DT and manage it w/in the database.
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