Mac users take note: a bug in macOS Sonoma 14.4 could delete saved versions of files on your iCloud Drive
The latest update for macOS Sonoma contains another bug, this time wreaking havoc on users’ saved files in iCloud Drive.
Normally when you save files to your iCloud Drive, all the different versions of that file are saved for future use. So if you’ve been working on a large project or assignment, you can view all versions of your file if necessary.
This is the case even if you delete a file from the disk; its earlier versions are still available to you if and when you need them. Unfortunately for some users, this new bug erases all previously saved versions when a file is deleted from the iCloud Drive – which could mean all your work is gone.
Howard Oakley from The eclectic lighting company stated in a message that macOS 14.4 users who have enabled the ‘Optimize Mac Storage’ setting should be warned that there is a risk of loss all their saved versions of a file if they choose to delete or move it from iCloud Drive. Oakley notes that this issue is “certainly not in Ventura” and that testing in the previous 14.3 updates did not observe the issue either.
Hold my saved files
If you’re worried about your own saves, don’t be! You can try to curb the potential threat by simply not updating your operating system to macOS 14.4 if you haven’t already, or by disabling the “Optimize Mac Storage” setting. This way, your files won’t be booted from iCloud Drive, nor from previously saved versions.
This bug is just the latest issue to hit the macOS Sonoma 14.4 update, following reports that the update broke some users’ USB hubs and even disabled printers. So you need to be as careful as possible if you have already updated to the latest version of Sonoma.
So far, there haven’t been many reports of the bug making the rounds, meaning it’s probably not a widespread problem yet. We haven’t heard a word from Apple about these bugs yet, which in itself could be interpreted as good news – if Apple hasn’t said anything yet, that’s a good sign that this is a minor issue that will likely be resolved quickly and quietly in a further update.