What are the ._ files and little blue rectangles I see in my google drive after up loading files and folders from my mac

[Sossity]

I use google drive to backup some of my content from my hard drives plugged into my mac. I often backup whole folders full of files.

However, I see a copy of the original files and then a ._after the file names.

For example; First file is; Document A, and then there will be another copy of this file; ._Document A.

Another example; Folder A, and then there will be a little blue rectangle with ._Folder A as well.

What are the prefix things of._ for? what is the little blue rectangle icon for? and do I need them? I think they are small, but do kind of make my file organization a bit messier on my Google drive.

Are they critical? or is it safe to delete them from my Google drive? If I had to download the content from my Google drive back onto another mac or hard drive attached to my mac, would I need those files?

 

[ssmed]

They are files used by the Mac OS which are normally invisible (hence starting with a period) and on google drive the system just shows them in all their glory. You will loose some information pertaining to the files if you delete them, but unlikely to be critical when uploading documents or pictures.

 

[Sossity]

I notice the files seem to show up when I upload whole folders full of them from a hard drive attached to my mac, but if I create a folder in Google drive, and then upload multiple individual files from my mac to the folder created in Google drive, those little files do not show up then.

 

[MacCheetah3]

I notice the files seem to show up when I upload whole folders full of them from a hard drive attached to my mac, but if I create a folder in Google drive, and then upload multiple individual files from my mac to the folder created in Google drive, those little files do not show up then.

Correct. Because, when you select the folder to upload, it grabs every file (even if it is hidden in macOS) in that folder. Whereas, if you select files, that’s exactly what you will transfer.

What are the prefix things of._ for?

Prefixing a folder/filename with a period makes it hidden in macOS.

The dot underscore files, put simply, store extended/extra attributes/metadata, such as:

• Last Opened (date/time)
• Where From
• Downloaded Date
• Tags
• Comments
• Quarantine Flag (part of the Gatekeeper feature)

Are they critical? or is it safe to delete them from my Google drive? If I had to download the content from my Google drive back onto another mac or hard drive attached to my mac, would I need those files?

Is it safe to delete them? Yes.
Are they critical/important? Well, that depends on how much you utilize the extra data. In other words, if you delete or do not download/copy the associated ._[filename] file back to your Mac, the above attributes will be reset/missing for that file.

Related:

.DS_Store is a file that stores custom attributes of its containing folder, such as folder view options, icon positions, and other visual information.

.DS_Store - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Sossity]

Correct. Because, when you select the folder to upload, it grabs every file (even if it is hidden in macOS) in that folder. Whereas, if you select files, that’s exactly what you will transfer.


Prefixing a folder/filename with a period makes it hidden in macOS.

The dot underscore files, put simply, store extended/extra attributes/metadata, such as:

• Last Opened (date/time)
• Where From
• Downloaded Date
• Tags
• Comments
• Quarantine Flag (part of the Gatekeeper feature)


Is it safe to delete them? Yes.
Are they critical/important? Well, that depends on how much you utilize the extra data. In other words, if you delete or do not download/copy the associated ._[filename] file back to your Mac, the above attributes will be reset/missing for that file.

Related:

.DS_Store - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

ok, thanks for the breakdown, in my case it might not be as crucial, because for a lot of the files, they will be edited in drive onward, and not so much be made to be on my mac.

 

[Dave Braine]

View Hidden Files in Finder
In Finder, press Command + Shift + . (period) to make the hidden files appear(and disappear).