Mac OS X: how to get rid of .DS_Store files

I. Can we disable the creation of .DS_Store files?

Answer is NO. But we can disable the creation of .DS_Store files on network volumes using the following command:

defaults write com.apple.desktopservices DSDontWriteNetworkStores true

.

II. How do I clean up the .DS_Store files

Run the following command in Terminal.app,

find /Volumes/USB-DISK -name '.DS_Store' -type f -delete

See also

• Prevent .DS_Store file creation on network volumes
• Mac OS X: how to get rid of ._ files