How to Delete .Ds_Store Files on Mac Easily

Are you wondering if there is by any chance you can delete .Ds_Store files on your Mac? Find out in this new article!

If you are an administrator or IT support or just a simple user and this .Ds_Store is annoying you all the time, you can easily delete it safely by following any of the given methods below.

So, let’s get started…

Part 1. What Is .DS_Store File on Mac?

Before heading on to remove this file, we will first need to understand what is .Ds_Store file and will it affect the user experience if removed. All these concerns will be answered one by one.

What is DS_Store File?

DS_Store is the abbreviation of Desktop Services Store created by the Finder every time a .zip file is created. It contains metadata or a directory of how the files are opened including the icon display, size, and recently opened.

This file is helping Mac on its display setting especially upon opening a file folder. It lets you easily understand the contents by looking at its sorted name, size, date, and even icons.

Will it Affect the User Experience if Removed?

Are .Ds_Store files necessary? You can see the .Ds_Store from archived files received from other Mac users. The .Ds_Store does not cause any harm on the device however, there can be some inconveniences particularly in file operations like file copying.

One notable issue with the .Ds_Store is if there are multiple files selected for file transfer/copy, the operation will cancel all progress once a.DS_Store file is reached, forcing the user to restart the process.

In order to stop the creation of .Ds_Store, you need to quit using the Finder but that’s not gonna be good because Finder does help us locate things easily.

What we can do instead is to delete or disable.Ds_Store. This can also save lots of your space to speed up Mac. Find out how in the next parts of this article.

Part 2. How to Delete Ds_Store Files on Mac/Windows Manually

How do I get rid of .DS_Store on my Mac? A method to delete .Ds_Store Windows and Mac is of course manually. This is a long process but we will guide you on how to effectively erase it by making the steps easier.

How to Delete Ds_Store Files on Mac?

1. Launch Terminal on your Mac. You can also go to Applications, then click Utilities, and then Terminal.
2. Find the folder/directory you want the .Ds_Store file to erase. Enter ‘cd’ before the folder path. You can refer to this sample: cd /Users/username/nameoffolder.
3. Hit Enter and key in: find . -name '.DS_Store' -type f –delete.
4. Hit Enter again and check the folder. The .Ds_Store is now gone.

However, you might need to perform these steps on every folder containing the .Ds_Store file which of course takes time and effort.

How to Delete Ds_Store Files on Windows?

If you use both Mac and Windows, you may get a bunch of hidden .Ds_Store files on your Windows drive. Just follow the steps below to find and remove those hidden files:

1. Press Win + R at the same time then type “cmd” to open the Command on Windows.
2. Input this command: del / s / q / f / a .DS_STORE.
3. You will see every type of files of your Mac then select .Ds_Store files.
4. Delete those unwanted files.