How to Remove and Exclude .DS_Store Files on macOS with Git

If you’re a macOS user working with Git, you’ve likely encountered .DS_Store files. These hidden files, created by Finder to store folder-specific metadata, can sneak into your Git repository and clutter your commits. In this post, I’ll guide you through the steps to remove existing .DS_Store files from your repository and prevent them from being tracked in the future.

Why .DS_Store Files Are a Problem

.DS_Store files are automatically generated by macOS to store information like folder view settings. While harmless locally, they can cause issues in Git repositories:

• They bloat commit history with irrelevant changes.
• They can lead to merge conflicts if different team members modify folder settings.
• They expose macOS-specific metadata in shared repositories.

Let’s dive into how to handle them effectively.

Step 1: Remove Existing .DS_Store Files from Git

If .DS_Store files are already tracked in your repository, you’ll need to remove them from Git’s index without deleting them from your local filesystem (unless you want to).

1. Check for tracked .DS_Store files: Run the following command in your repository’s root directory to see if any .DS_Store files are tracked:

   git ls-files | grep .DS_Store
   

2. Remove .DS_Store files from the Git index: Use this command to untrack all .DS_Store files while keeping them on your disk:

   find . -name .DS_Store -exec git rm --cached {} \;
   

3. (Optional) Delete .DS_Store files from the filesystem: If you want to remove .DS_Store files entirely from your local repository, run:

   find . -name .DS_Store -delete
   

Step 2: Exclude .DS_Store Files in Git

To prevent .DS_Store files from being tracked in the future, add them to your .gitignore file.

1. Add .DS_Store to .gitignore: Open or create a .gitignore file in your repository’s root directory and add the following line:

   .DS_Store
   

2. (Optional) Set up a global .gitignore: If you work across multiple repositories, you can ignore .DS_Store globally:

   echo ".DS_Store" >> ~/.gitignore_global
   git config --global core.excludesfile ~/.gitignore_global
   

3. Verify .gitignore: Double-check that .DS_Store is listed in your .gitignore file to ensure Git ignores it moving forward.

Step 3: Prevent macOS from Creating .DS_Store Files (Optional)

You can configure macOS to stop creating .DS_Store files in specific contexts, such as network or USB drives.

1. Disable .DS_Store creation on network drives:

   defaults write com.apple.desktopservices DSDontWriteNetworkStores -bool true
   

2. Disable .DS_Store creation on USB drives:

   defaults write com.apple.desktopservices DSDontWriteUSBStores -bool true
   

3. Revert these settings (if needed): To re-enable .DS_Store creation, use:

   defaults delete com.apple.desktopservices DSDontWriteNetworkStores
   defaults delete com.apple.desktopservices DSDontWriteUSBStores
   

Step 4: Commit and Push Changes

After removing .DS_Store files and updating .gitignore, commit your changes:

git add .gitignore
git commit -m "Remove .DS_Store files and update .gitignore"

If you’re working with a remote repository, push the changes:

git push origin <branch-name>

Final Thoughts

By following these steps, you can keep your Git repository clean from .DS_Store files and avoid future headaches. Regularly check your .gitignore file to ensure it’s up to date, especially when collaborating with others on macOS.