What can we do with ._ files?

[Judith B.11]

In every Dropbox folder we have duplicatie files with ._ in front. Recently:

- we have used a SD card for storage (not anymore)
- we have added a Windows computer to the sychronisation (before only Mac's).

What can we do with these files? Can we hide or delete them? 

Thank you,

Laura

[Rich · Accepted solution]

Dot underscore files are Mac system files and unrelated to Dropbox. They are the result of storing your files on a hard drive partition that does not support extended file attributes. They have likely always been there on your Mac, but since they are OS X system files, they were hidden. Windows just sees them as regular files so it doesn't hide them.

• http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/14980/why-are-dot-underscore-files-created-and-how-can-i-av...

[Browncow1966]

I have been using an Apple MacBook Pro with Dropbox and I have Windows installed via Parallels with Dropbox there as well. Same account. Recently my folders and files have ._ prefix I can no longer access these files or folders from either Dropbox nor directly on the Dropbox web page. I run a small dog rescue and it is critical that I access these files and folders. Any help would be much appreciated. BTW, these are not copies of the files but the actual folders and files themselves.

[Rich]

Please read the links that were posted above your reply for information about dot underscore files. You're not supposed to open them. They aren't your actual files. They just hold data about your files that is specific to OS X/macOS.

[andrew k.42]

It really would be nice though if there was a way to tell dropbox to automagically HIDE those files though..  i mean, after years and years of dragging through huge long lists of these meta data files, it would make db nicer to use..