Two files on desktop after showing hidden folders.

I had to access the main library folder in OS X Lion, so I revealed hidden folders. Since then, I've just kept them showing, but there are these two files ".DS_Store" and ".localized" on my desktop that I'd like to get rid of if possible. I'm not sure what they're for so I didn't want to just delete them. Can someone give me the "all clear" to remove these files so my desktop can be a bit neater? Thanks.

- ImageX

Yep those should be there. If you delete them, they'll just reappear

If you want a 'clean' desktop turn off show hidden files. The behavior is the same in windows btw, you just have different filenames (for instance, desktop.ini, etc)

Yep - for myself, it's a bad idea to have hidden files showing all the time, and I'm in them a lot. Just the whole thing of having to turn it on and back off is a good reminder to myself to make sure I realize where I am and what I'm about to mess with.

bobtomay said:

Yep - for myself, it's a bad idea to have hidden files showing all the time, and I'm in them a lot.

Click to expand...

Agreed - they're hidden for a reason.

The files you see are normal. The .DS_Store stores the attributes of the folder that it is located in and the .localized file contains localization information (info that pertains to the naming of content in different languages). As noted above, if you don't want to see them, you have no choice but to rehide files.

A tip: to get to any folder in Finder, simply push Shift-Command-G and manually enter the folder name.

Found a way to hide the rest of the files, but keep my user library file available. That's the folder I need access to. The rest can go back and die. Thanks for the input.

- ImageX