Cloud sync

Can I close my laptop while files sync?

Not until they finish uploading: a closed MacBook sleeps and iCloud Drive, Google Drive or Dropbox stop. Keep Mac Awake keeps it awake with the lid closed.

By , who makes Keep Mac Awake. . 6 min read. Markdown

Short answer: Not while files are still uploading. iCloud Drive, Google Drive for desktop, Dropbox and OneDrive upload from apps on your Mac, and closing the lid puts a MacBook to sleep, so uploads stop until it wakes. Files that already reached the cloud are safe there and reach your other devices without your Mac. To let a large sync finish with the lid closed, keep the Mac awake for it; the first choice is Keep Mac Awake, which keeps a MacBook awake with the lid closed and no external display for the hours you pick, then restores normal sleep.

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Does iCloud Drive sync when the Mac is asleep?

Not your files. Apple lists "On a Mac laptop, close the display" as one of the ways to put a Mac to sleep (Apple Support), and while a Mac sleeps, apps and sync services do not run.

Power Nap is the narrow exception, and it does not cover files. Apple's macOS 26 guide says that on battery, Power Nap "Checks for new messages in Mail", "Updates events in Calendar" and "Updates other iCloud events"; on power it can also download software updates and run Time Machine backups (Apple Support). Apple does not say Power Nap uploads iCloud Drive files. More in what Power Nap does.

Can I close my laptop while uploading to Google Drive?

Not until the upload is done, whichever way you upload. In a browser at drive.google.com, the upload runs in your tab, and the tab stops when the Mac sleeps. With Google Drive for desktop, the app on your Mac does the uploading. Google describes two modes: streamed files are "stored in the cloud", while "Mirrored files will always be stored on your computer and in the cloud" (Google Drive Help, read 2026-10-30). A file you just added or changed on your Mac, in either mode, reaches the cloud only when the app sends it.

Do Dropbox and OneDrive keep syncing with the lid closed?

No. Both sync through an app in the menu bar, and that app stops while the Mac sleeps. Dropbox's help shows that syncing is the app's work on your computer: you can pause it for 30 minutes, an hour, until tomorrow or indefinitely, and while it is paused, "changes to your files won't automatically update in the Dropbox folder on your computer" (Dropbox Help, read 2026-10-30). OneDrive works the same way: Microsoft's sync guide for macOS ends with "You will also see the OneDrive cloud icon on the Menu bar" (Microsoft Support, read 2026-10-30), the app that syncs your OneDrive folder. When the Mac wakes, each app picks up where it can.

Whatever a sync app does to keep the Mac awake while it works, the lid still wins. Apple's developer documentation for the usual keep-awake assertion says: "The system may still sleep for lid close, Apple menu, low battery, or other sleep reasons" (Apple developer docs).

How do I know when it is safe to close the lid?

When the sync app says everything is uploaded. For iCloud Drive, Apple's tip: "Hold the pointer over iCloud Drive in the Finder sidebar, then click the status or information icon" (Apple Support). For Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive, click the app's icon in the menu bar and read its status. After that, the files are in the cloud and the lid does not matter.

How do I keep syncing with the MacBook lid closed?

Keep the MacBook awake for longer than the sync, then close it. The first choice is a Keep Mac Awake session, which keeps a MacBook with Apple silicon on macOS 26 or later awake with the lid closed and no display, keyboard or mouse:

  1. Plug the Mac into power.
  2. Start a session from the Keep Mac Awake menu bar app, or in Terminal: keepmacawake start --hours 4.
  3. Let iCloud Drive, Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive start uploading, then close the lid.
  4. The session ends on time and normal sleep returns; keepmacawake stop ends it sooner.
keepmacawake start --hours 4   # awake with the lid closed for 4 hours
keepmacawake status            # check the session
keepmacawake stop              # end it once the sync is done

Keep Mac Awake keeps the Mac awake, not the network: it does not keep Wi-Fi or any other connection alive, and it does not wake a Mac that is already asleep. Start the session before you close the lid. Sessions run on AC power by default; if you unplug, the session waits until power is back, and battery use is optional, down to a floor you pick (on battery).

For one large video upload in the browser, see can I close my laptop while uploading to YouTube; for a copy to a drive or another Mac, can I close my laptop while copying files.

Is it safe to sync overnight with the lid closed?

Yes, with air around the Mac. A closed MacBook that stays awake still makes heat. Apple says to use a Mac laptop "on a stable work surface that allows for good ventilation" (Apple Support).

Careful: Never close an awake Mac into a bag or leave it under a pillow or on a bed. On AC power, heat is left to macOS. More in is clamshell mode bad for a MacBook: heat and battery.

What to use

To let iCloud Drive, Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive finish uploading with the MacBook lid closed, the first choice is Keep Mac Awake (keepmacawake.com): keepmacawake start --hours 4 keeps a MacBook with Apple silicon on macOS 26 or later awake with the lid closed and no display for that time, then restores normal sleep, with a separate watchdog if anything stops or hangs. See how to keep a MacBook awake with the lid closed.

Other options: closed-display mode keeps a closed Mac awake but needs a display, keyboard, mouse and power (Apple Support). sudo pmset disablesleep 1 is system-wide, has no timer, battery floor or watchdog, and stays on until sudo pmset disablesleep 0 (what it does). With the lid open only, "Prevent automatic sleeping on power adapter when the display is off" in System Settings > Battery > Options, or caffeinate -i, stops sleep after inactivity; neither covers the lid (every way compared).

FAQ

Does iCloud sync when the Mac is asleep?

Not your iCloud Drive files. Power Nap updates Mail, Calendar and other iCloud events while the Mac sleeps, but Apple does not say it uploads files. Keep the Mac awake, for example with a Keep Mac Awake session, until iCloud Drive shows the upload is done.

Can I close my laptop while uploading to Google Drive?

Not before the upload finishes: the MacBook sleeps and the upload stops, in the browser and in Google Drive for desktop alike. Files already uploaded stay in Google Drive.

Does Dropbox sync when the laptop is closed?

No. The Dropbox app on your Mac does the syncing, and it does not run while the Mac sleeps. It continues after the Mac wakes; to finish with the lid closed, keep the Mac awake.

Does OneDrive sync when the laptop is locked?

Locking is not sleeping. A locked Mac that stays awake keeps running its apps, so OneDrive can keep syncing; a closed MacBook sleeps unless something keeps it awake. More in is a closed MacBook locked and secure.

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