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iCloud Drive Stuck on 'Waiting to Upload' (Mac)

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Workaround available macOS Updated November 13, 2026Based on 4 user reportsHow we research

Quick answer

Files stuck on 'Waiting to upload' in Finder usually mean the iCloud sync daemon (bird) has stalled. Restarting the Mac or restarting the bird process in Terminal is the fix users most often confirm; check storage and Apple's status page first.

Most likely fix: Check storage and status

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

  1. 1. Check storage and status

    1. System Settings > Apple Account > iCloud: confirm you have free space
    2. Check apple.com/support/systemstatus for iCloud Drive
    Did this fix it?

  2. 2. Restart the Mac

    1. Apple menu > Restart (a full restart fixed it for users when other steps didn't)
    Did this fix it?

  3. 3. Restart the iCloud sync process

    1. Open Terminal (Applications > Utilities)
    2. Run: killall bird
    3. macOS restarts it automatically; wait a minute and watch the Finder progress
    Did this fix it?

  4. 4. Nudge the stuck folder

    1. In Finder, click the small cloud icon next to the stuck folder
    2. Or rename the folder and rename it back to trigger a resync
    Did this fix it?

  5. 5. Move heavy folders out of iCloud Drive

    1. Keep git repos, node_modules and app libraries outside Desktop & Documents sync
    2. Quit apps that keep the stuck files open
    Did this fix it?

Symptoms

Files in iCloud Drive show a dotted cloud or 'Waiting to upload' for hours or days, the progress bar in the Finder sidebar doesn't move, and the files never appear on iPhone or icloud.com.

Why it happens

  • Sync daemon (bird / cloudd) stalled
  • iCloud storage full
  • Very large files or folders with thousands of small files (e.g. git repos, node_modules)
  • File locked by another app while uploading
  • Time Machine or other backup touching the same files
  • iCloud outage

This guide also covers

  • icloud drive waiting to upload
  • icloud drive stuck uploading mac
  • icloud drive not syncing mac
  • bird process mac
  • icloud drive upload stuck

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