How can I keep a local folder that is also syncing with iCloud
Solution 1:
No - you would want to locate the files in an iCloud folder. It’s pretty easy to keep folders downloaded, though. Using symbolic links won’t get you where you want to be - so I would clean them up and then re-enable desktop and documents storage.
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206985
Have you run into issues with keeping files around when the network is disconnected? Documents is still on your mac, so the files should sync to the cloud and remain there as long as you don’t enable “optimize space” in the settings.