When using USB flash drives for both Mac and Windows computers, hidden files will be created with names like “.fseventsd” or “.Spotlight-V100”. This tip will tell you what these files are and whether or not you need them.
When using USB flash drives for both Mac and Windows computers, hidden files will be created with names like “.fseventsd” or “.Spotlight-V100”. As soon as the USB flash drive is plugged in, these files are created by Mac OS X. The files are automatically hidden on the Mac when created, but display on Windows devices.
Here are the files that are typically created and why:
- .fseventsd - records file system events
- .Spotlight-V100 - indexes files for the Mac Spotlight feature
- .Trashes - records deleted files
- .DS_store - records icon placement in Mac Finder
These files are only intended to help Mac OS X organize the file system. If the USB flash drive doesn’t need to be used with the Mac system again, then you could delete these files from a Windows machine.