It's cross-platform — so even if you're on Linux or Windows and someone sends you a Mac'd-up zip file full of metadata cruft, you can clean it up without needing macOS.
.DS_Store__MACOSX directories._* AppleDouble files- ...and other detritus left behind by Finder and friends.
🚀 How to Install
git clone https://github.com/grizz66/mac2trash
cd mac2trash
pip install .
🛠️ Usage
mac2trash my-folder/
mac2trash archive.zip
Outputs a cleaned folder or _clean.zip — without macOS nonsense.
Why?
Because not everyone wants your ._Thumbs.db, and your USB drive deserves better.
📀 Common Mac Issues & Workarounds
- Network Drives Vanish on Sleep: Use `sudo pmset -a standby 0` to stop macOS from dropping mapped drives.
- Unwanted .DS_Store Files: `defaults write com.apple.desktopservices DSDontWriteNetworkStores -bool true` to suppress them on network shares.
- Crappy Zip Exports: Use `ditto -c -k --sequesterRsrc --keepParent source_folder archive.zip` to make cleaner zips.
- App won't open because it’s from an unknown developer: Right-click > Open, then allow via System Preferences > Security.
- Mac randomly capitalizes folders: Because HFS+ was case-insensitive, APFS sometimes inherits weirdness. Consider using a real filesystem.
👀 See also