Watch Out for This ICloud Drive Error When Upgrading to a New Mac
Whether you’re switching from one iMac to another (brighter) after the holidays, or helping someone set up their new MacBook Pro to replace an old MacBook Air, you might be tempted to use iCloud Drive to move some of the important files you need. access in a hurry. Unfortunately, if you move files from a Mac running Sierra to a Mac running High Sierra, your documents, images, and other files may lose some metadata in the process.
Writer Howard Oakley wrote about a special error that occurs when transferring files using Apple iCloud Drive, its cloud storage that allows you to sync files such as pictures, documents, and everything else between macOS and iOS devices. If you try to copy a file containing a specific list of extended attributes that make up the file’s metadata from Sierra to iCloud and High Sierra, those attributes will no longer be included in the new file on a Mac with High Sierra.
Oakley examples include a text document with additional metadata in the form of a custom icon and a PDF with various annotations. While a lost icon in a text file might not matter much, losing your notes and edits made to a PDF can be disastrous if that iCloud Drive file becomes your only copy when moving from your old Mac to a new one. The problem is quite specific, but it’s still worth noticing if you see a new Mac in the future. However, High Sierra has had a number of security issues lately, so I don’t blame you if you’d rather wait a bit before updating your Mac .
Of course, your files need to be in multiple locations, including your external hard drive , to protect yourself from things like data loss and hardware damage. But you already knew that, right? If not, you should consider purchasing a cloud storage service that allows you to back up your entire computer in case something goes wrong.
iCloud Drive can remove (meta) data from your documents | Eclectic Light company