.DS Store
.DS_Store (Desktop Services Store)[1] is a hidden file created by Apple Inc.'s Mac OS X operating system to store custom attributes of a folder such as the position of icons or the choice of a background image.[2] By default, the Mac OS X Finder will create a .DS_Store file in every folder that it accesses, even folders on remote systems (for example, folders shared over an SMB or AFP connection) and even if the user has only customized the appearance of the folder by moving its Finder window.[3] This is in contrast to the preexisting system for the same purpose used in previous versions of the Finder, which would merely place a number of invisible files at the root of the volume being accessed (even on alien file systems), always storing the settings and metadata for all of the folders in the entire volume within this single set of files.
After complaints from users about these files being created on remote systems, Apple posted an article on its support site detailing how to disable the creation of remote .DS_Store files over network connections.[4]
Note that suppressing the creation of .DS_Store files is only possible on network drives such as file servers – they will still always be created on local drives, including flash drives or anything that appears as a flash drive. The creation of .DS_Store and related files on flash-like drives is known to cause problems with some embedded devices that do not expect those files, including several popular models of digital photo frames.
Although these files were initially primarily used by the Finder they were envisioned as a more general purpose store of metadata about the display options of folders such as icon position and view settings.[1] For example, since Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger", .DS_Store files contain the Spotlight Comments of all the folder's files.
Prior to the release of Mac OS X 10.5, .DS_Store files would be visible on the Windows filesystem.[5]
See also
- Thumbs.db – Windows thumbnail cache
References
- ^ a b Arno Gourdol (September 30 2006). "On the origins of .DS_Store". arno.org. Retrieved 2006-10-01.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Adobe (February 24 2003). "Removing .DS_Store files on Macintosh OS X?". adobe.com. Retrieved 2006-09-29.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Rixstep (May 21 2003). ".DS_Store". rixstep.com. Retrieved 2006-09-29.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Apple Computer (May 24 2005). "Mac OS X 10.4: How to prevent .DS_Store file creation over network connections". www.apple.com/support/. Retrieved 2006-09-29.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Prevent creation of .DS_Store files in network shares". www.greci.cc. November 12 2007. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
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