How to delete ghost files

[Soppakey]

For some reason, when I do a search for a file in the finder window, I sometimes see a copy of a file appearing in the results, with the same size as the real file. But this "ghost" file does not exist in the folder where the real file is (there is no location info for the file at the bottom of the finder window as usual), so I don't know where it is. These files are all video files and are several gigabytes in size. Thus if they really exist, then my hard drive is being used up uncessarily by these ghost files. There are many of these files (100+).

Are these real files or not? If they are, how can I delete them? Why are they being created as it seems pointless?
If they are not real files, what is causing them to be created?
The file icon of these files are all plain white, with the top right corner folded over. I can rename the file but I can't move it, or delete it. However, after renaming the file, the original name still shows in the file preview, even though in the list of files in the finder, the name has changed.

I have done a bit of movng files around in the past few months and I have seen these ghost files appear after I have moved the real files.
The moving of the real files has always occurred after I have carried out a search from the finder window.

Any help is appreciated.

 

[dizmonk]

Can you show a screen show of it, without violating any of your privacy? I think I may have the same issue.

 

[Soppakey]

Screen shot attached. After renaming the file earlier, the name changed back after I closed the finder window.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Are they real or not? Go to where it says they are and "get info" of that folder. Does the contents of the folder add up to the total file size it shows? If not, they are not real. If they are there, "get info" the file itself. For example, how big is that "sample ghost file.mp4" when you use "Get info" on it. You say these files are not where they seem to be, so I think they are not "real" files eating space.

What's causing them? My first guess would be you are perhaps using an app to add metadata to video files you render with handbrake or similar? Several of those kinds of tools often temporarily create a temp file to insert the metadata. During that time, there ARE 2 copies of a same file. When it is finished adding the metadata, it deletes the original and renames the one that now has the meta data. If those apps fail- as they do from time to time- I've had situations where the working file was left with the original because they were not finished writing metadata when the app crashed or the Mac was rebooted, etc.

Some of your other comments references stuff I can't quite grasp. I suspect you may be seeing fork stuff in Apple files in the former file system: HFS. One file is data and the other is- I don't even remember. You might be seeing the "I don't remember" part of the fork and moving those around or leaving those behind. I thought those are hidden but you might have a "show all files" setting flipped on or something like that. You might dig into some searches for Apple HFS forks and see if you find things that seem to fit your situation.

You might also look around your Finder settings, etc and uncheck "show system files" or similar and you might not be able to see "ghost" files anymore. There are files that macOS uses that users are not supposed to see. They do exist but are behind the scenes files. You might have something switched on to show such files.

 

[Soppakey]

The size of the ghost file is shown in the screenshot.

I added up the sizes of all the files (using a spreadsheet) in the folder where the real file is and the total comes to almost the same as what is shown in Get Info for the folder. My calc = 118,301 Gigs, Get Info 118,270 Gigs

I do have the drive contents hidden and I unhide it with shift+Command+period combo.

I have no idea what metadata is and I am not doing anything with the videos after downloading them. I just play them. I have no idea what handbrake is not what "render" is.

I don't see anything about show system files in Finder prefs.

Thanks for your input. I suspect these files are not real so not taking up the space they are displaying.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

Are these files, "ghosts" of real mp4 files that you have downloaded?

Or...
Are they "ghosts" of [real] files that you have created, using an app on your Mac?
(such as, iMovie, Final Cut, or something else)

 

[Soppakey]

Are these files, "ghosts" of real mp4 files that you have downloaded?

Yes.

Are they "ghosts" of [real] files that you have created, using an app on your Mac?
(such as, iMovie, Final Cut, or something else)

No.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Maybe the app you are using to download these files is creating a temporary file to accumulate the download and then not deleting it after the download completes?

Or maybe select downloads are getting interrupted for the downloading app, leaving behind these files that were intended to hold the full download? When the download resumes, the downloader creates a new "shell" to collect the download and you are left with these empty files from prior attempts?

Perhaps if you identify how you are downloading these files- what app you are using- someone doing the same will be able to step in and tell you what's going on?

 

[Soppakey]

The downloads are sometimes interrupted and I have to start those again. They are all from websites (filejoker etc).
But it seems that these files are not actual files and so I don't need to worry about them hogging space as duplicates.
Still, I'd like to know how to remove them, if possible.

Thanks to those who replied.