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Forum Discussion
I have an issue with indexing "._" files. Any ideas?
Why are files prefixed with ._(then file name) showing in all my folders? Is this a mistake?
Dot Underscore ( ._ ) files, otherwise known at AppleDouble files, are created by Apple's OS X or macOS operating system, typically when you store files on a non-native hard drive partition. They're used to hold extended attribute information that cannot be written to the partition along side the files. This is most common when using external hard drives that are formatted as FAT32, though it can happen with other partition types as well.
You usually don't see these files on a Mac because the operating system knows to hide them (they're still there though, and if you can see hidden files, you'll see them). On other systems the files are visible, including on Dropbox which will sync them like any other file. Note that an Apple Mac operating system is creating these files; not Dropbox.
Try a Google search for AppleDouble or dot underscore files and you'll find a lot more information about them.
Rich
Super User II
Super User IIDot Underscore ( ._ ) files, otherwise known at AppleDouble files, are created by Apple's OS X or macOS operating system, typically when you store files on a non-native hard drive partition. They're used to hold extended attribute information that cannot be written to the partition along side the files. This is most common when using external hard drives that are formatted as FAT32, though it can happen with other partition types as well.
You usually don't see these files on a Mac because the operating system knows to hide them (they're still there though, and if you can see hidden files, you'll see them). On other systems the files are visible, including on Dropbox which will sync them like any other file. Note that an Apple Mac operating system is creating these files; not Dropbox.
Try a Google search for AppleDouble or dot underscore files and you'll find a lot more information about them.
Thanks for pointing the issue, but there is no solution, not from any other user and not from dropbox support. Very disappoint from a service i considered the best on the industry, #Fail
- Walter
Dropbox Staff
Hey there HS4 - sorry to hear you feel this way - I'll try to help with this now.
First off, these "AppleDouble files" - the (._) files - are generated by your Mac device(s), not Dropbox as Rich has clearly outlined in his reply.
Having said that now, kindly note that the issue you're seeing is a Mac issue that occurs when copying files with extended attributes metadata into a file system that doesn't support them. Depending on the information stored in the metadata, you may or may not need these files.
To avoid this issue if you have your Dropbox folder on an external drive, please make sure that the drive is formatted in the default file system format for the Operating System that is installed.
Formatting drives may cause data loss. You can consult resources from your Operating System's manufacturer for steps and recommendations on formatting drives to a different file system. The most common default file systems are NTFS (Windows), HFS (Mac OS X) or ext4 (Linux) while Dropbox can't be used on removable drives at all.
I know this is not much of a help but I hope it points you to the right direction.
If there's anything else I can do from my end to help with this, do let me know!
Yes, its no helpful but thanks for reply, I just wonder if its only a mac problem why dropbox service doesnt allow me to search the files by ._ so I could easily find the wrong files and delete them instead of going folder by folder in 200 gigas and delete one by one.
My suggestion for other mac users, that should be apparently (for dropbox) very few in the world; is get a copy of all your files in a external hard drive, then cancel your subscription to dropbox and find a compatible service somewhere else where could take care of common user problems. It would be easier to delete the wrong files from your hard drive than from dropbox in the clouds.
- MarkIt is dead easy to delete them from Dropbox (I do it frequently although it only happens if you use a badly formatted drive on your Mac).
Simply search for ._ on the Mac you are using Dropbox on OR at the Dropbox website and then delete them.
Users themselves really need to delete them - no program at all should be doing this because there is a chance of data loss.
