Recent reports indicate that Mac users who updated to macOS Sonoma 14.4 are facing a concerning issue. Enabling the "Optimize Mac Storage" feature can result in the permanent deletion of historical file versions stored in iCloud Drive.
Previously, when a file was removed from local storage in macOS (using the "Remove Download" option from the context menu), iCloud Drive retained all saved versions of that file in the cloud.
However, in macOS 14.4, all prior versions are deleted and are irretrievably lost.
Testing has confirmed that this issue does not affect macOS Sonoma 14.3 or macOS Ventura, indicating that it is specific to macOS 14.4.
For users who have already upgraded to macOS Sonoma 14.4, it is recommended to either avoid saving files to iCloud Drive or disable the "Optimize Mac Storage" feature to mitigate the risk of losing file versions.
Ironically, Apple recently released a promotional video titled "iPhone 15 Storage | Don't Let Me Go," which emphasizes that even the 128GB iPhone 15 offers "storage that's massive, for all your photos and more" through iCloud.
