[REQUEST] macOS Photos Saves Hidden Files Alongside Original

[Appletax]

I am running macOS High Sierra and am using Photos to edit my pictures and then export them to folders.

When I transfer the photos to my PC and enable viewing hidden files, many of the photos have corresponding hidden files - some do not. I delete them all and nothing happens to the photos.

Why are they there? Hopefully they do not contain metadata/EXIF (they are all 4KB in size).

Hidden file name as an example: ._FileName.jpg - the ._ is appended to the beginning.

 

[Markverhyden]

Resource fork files. Been around for ages.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resource_fork

 

[Appletax]

Resource fork files. Been around for ages.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resource_fork

My understanding is that Windows doesn't care about them


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Markverhyden]

My understanding is that Windows doesn't care about them


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Now a days they can just be ignored. Back in the XP days they used to cause problems on XP machines in limited cases. If you unpacked an installer with .exe files it would create a resource fork for all of the files, including exe's. The way XP worked, if you unhid files, it would parse the ._filename.exe first in autorun or installer which kept things from running. Found that out the hard way. Spent a couple of hours trying to figure out why an installer would not run.

 

[Appletax]

Now a days they can just be ignored. Back in the XP days they used to cause problems on XP machines in limited cases. If you unpacked an installer with .exe files it would create a resource fork for all of the files, including exe's. The way XP worked, if you unhid files, it would parse the ._filename.exe first in autorun or installer which kept things from running. Found that out the hard way. Spent a couple of hours trying to figure out why an installer would not run.

When I moved the pictures to organize them, that fork file did not go with it. Also, the edits are still present. So those files are totally unnecessary.

 

[frase]

They are hidden for a reason - so the user doesn't stress about it. Though they are temp edit files by the looks of it - delete temp files on drive concerned about yet?

 

[Archon Prime]

Yeah these hidden files have been around forever. nothing worth worrying about. delete them if you want.

 

[Markverhyden]

Those resource forks can be considered as providing metadata type information specific to the underlying OS. Personally I have no idea what they actually do @Appletax but, as you observed, removing them has not noticeable impact.