.DS_Store (Desktop Services Store) is a hidden system file automatically created by macOS in folders when you open them in Finder. It stores metadata about the folder's view settings, such as:

✅ Icon positions

✅ Window size & layout

✅ Sort order & display preferences

These files are not necessary for your project and can be safely deleted. However, macOS will recreate them when you open the folder in Finder.

🛑 How to Prevent .DS_Store from Being Committed to GitHub?

If you’re using Git, add .DS_Store to your .gitignore file:

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echo ".DS_Store" >> .gitignore
git rm --cached .DS_Store  # Remove any tracked .DS_Store files
git commit -m "Removed .DS_Store files and updated .gitignore"
git push origin main

This ensures .DS_Store files don’t get uploaded to GitHub.

🚫 How to Stop macOS from Creating .DS_Store?

If you don’t want macOS to create .DS_Store files on network drives (or at all), run:

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defaults write com.apple.desktopservices DSDontWriteNetworkStores -bool TRUE

To apply changes, restart Finder:

sh
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killall Finder