What is a .DS_STORE file?
A .DS_STORE file is a type of file used on computers that run macOS, previously known as Mac OS X. This file helps the computer remember how you like to view a particular folder. For example, it keeps track of where the folder window appears on your screen, how big that window is, whether you prefer to see the folder's contents as icons, in a list, or in columns, and how the icons are arranged inside the window.
You typically won't open a .DS_STORE file directly. Instead, it works in the background, and you interact with it through the Mac OS X Finder, the file management application on Mac computers. This means when you open a folder, the Finder reads the .DS_STORE file to show the folder the way you like it.
These files are usually hidden and you won't see them unless they are copied to a network, to a Windows computer, or restored from a backup. In these cases, they might become visible.
If you delete a .DS_STORE file from a folder, it won't harm the files in the folder. The next time you open that folder, it will just appear with the default settings that Finder uses, because it no longer has the instructions on how you prefer to view it.
The "DS" in .DS_STORE stands for "Desktop Services," which refers to the part of the macOS that handles these kinds of settings for the user interface.
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