Empty folder on macOS Mojave still containing one item
I have a bunch of folders that need to be filled with one document each. These folders were previously filled with documents but I deleted all of these documents, so the folders should be empty (and I need them to be empty so its easier to see through a custom search which ones I already "re-filled" with new documents). But when I tell the Finder search masks to show me only empty folders, they do not appear. A right click reveals that there is still one item with zero KB per folder although when I open the folder, there seems to be nothing. So far I have tried the following:
- Showing hidden files (still empty)
- Showing .DS_store files
- relaunched Finder and restarted my Macbook
- Copied the empty folders to another location
- Tried a folder size search instead (since the item should have no size)
All of this has failed, however. I am completely clueless about what these ghost items are and how to get rid of them.
I'm running Mojave 10.14.2, and the folders where initially created through R in a Windows environment.
EDIT:
I just copied one of the folders to a Windows remote Desktop and on Windows the folder is empty (Copied back to macOS it again contains one item).
macos finder
asked Jan 23 at 13:09
Cb31w01Cb31w01
62
add a comment |
I have a bunch of folders that need to be filled with one document each. These folders were previously filled with documents but I deleted all of these documents, so the folders should be empty (and I need them to be empty so its easier to see through a custom search which ones I already "re-filled" with new documents). But when I tell the Finder search masks to show me only empty folders, they do not appear. A right click reveals that there is still one item with zero KB per folder although when I open the folder, there seems to be nothing. So far I have tried the following:
- Showing hidden files (still empty)
- Showing .DS_store files
- relaunched Finder and restarted my Macbook
- Copied the empty folders to another location
- Tried a folder size search instead (since the item should have no size)
All of this has failed, however. I am completely clueless about what these ghost items are and how to get rid of them.
I'm running Mojave 10.14.2, and the folders where initially created through R in a Windows environment.
EDIT:
I just copied one of the folders to a Windows remote Desktop and on Windows the folder is empty (Copied back to macOS it again contains one item).
macos finder
asked Jan 23 at 13:09
Cb31w01Cb31w01
62
Did you try to open Terminal, typels -lathen drag and drop one of your "empty folder" in the terminal, and press "enter" to check if you see some hidden file?
– Yoric
Jan 23 at 14:18
@Yoric Thanks for the advice, but nothing showed up. Now I've been trying different things and it seems like every folder now has one "hidden" item (even "Get info" on folders I just created returns "Zero bytes (Zero bytes on disk) for 1 item"). Am I stupid or is that item the folder itself? But if so, why doesn't the finder search setting "Number of Files equals 0"return those empty folders?
– Cb31w01
Jan 23 at 15:15
add a comment |
I have a bunch of folders that need to be filled with one document each. These folders were previously filled with documents but I deleted all of these documents, so the folders should be empty (and I need them to be empty so its easier to see through a custom search which ones I already "re-filled" with new documents). But when I tell the Finder search masks to show me only empty folders, they do not appear. A right click reveals that there is still one item with zero KB per folder although when I open the folder, there seems to be nothing. So far I have tried the following:
- Showing hidden files (still empty)
- Showing .DS_store files
- relaunched Finder and restarted my Macbook
- Copied the empty folders to another location
- Tried a folder size search instead (since the item should have no size)
All of this has failed, however. I am completely clueless about what these ghost items are and how to get rid of them.
I'm running Mojave 10.14.2, and the folders where initially created through R in a Windows environment.
EDIT:
I just copied one of the folders to a Windows remote Desktop and on Windows the folder is empty (Copied back to macOS it again contains one item).
macos finder
asked Jan 23 at 13:09
Cb31w01Cb31w01
62
I have a bunch of folders that need to be filled with one document each. These folders were previously filled with documents but I deleted all of these documents, so the folders should be empty (and I need them to be empty so its easier to see through a custom search which ones I already "re-filled" with new documents). But when I tell the Finder search masks to show me only empty folders, they do not appear. A right click reveals that there is still one item with zero KB per folder although when I open the folder, there seems to be nothing. So far I have tried the following:
- Showing hidden files (still empty)
- Showing .DS_store files
- relaunched Finder and restarted my Macbook
- Copied the empty folders to another location
- Tried a folder size search instead (since the item should have no size)
All of this has failed, however. I am completely clueless about what these ghost items are and how to get rid of them.
I'm running Mojave 10.14.2, and the folders where initially created through R in a Windows environment.
EDIT:
I just copied one of the folders to a Windows remote Desktop and on Windows the folder is empty (Copied back to macOS it again contains one item).
macos finder
macos finder
asked Jan 23 at 13:09
Cb31w01Cb31w01
62
asked Jan 23 at 13:09
Cb31w01Cb31w01
62
edited Jan 23 at 13:46
Cb31w01
asked Jan 23 at 13:09
Cb31w01Cb31w01
62
asked Jan 23 at 13:09
Cb31w01Cb31w01
62
asked Jan 23 at 13:09
Cb31w01Cb31w01
62
62
Did you try to open Terminal, typels -lathen drag and drop one of your "empty folder" in the terminal, and press "enter" to check if you see some hidden file?
– Yoric
Jan 23 at 14:18
@Yoric Thanks for the advice, but nothing showed up. Now I've been trying different things and it seems like every folder now has one "hidden" item (even "Get info" on folders I just created returns "Zero bytes (Zero bytes on disk) for 1 item"). Am I stupid or is that item the folder itself? But if so, why doesn't the finder search setting "Number of Files equals 0"return those empty folders?
– Cb31w01
Jan 23 at 15:15
add a comment |
Did you try to open Terminal, typels -lathen drag and drop one of your "empty folder" in the terminal, and press "enter" to check if you see some hidden file?
– Yoric
Jan 23 at 14:18
@Yoric Thanks for the advice, but nothing showed up. Now I've been trying different things and it seems like every folder now has one "hidden" item (even "Get info" on folders I just created returns "Zero bytes (Zero bytes on disk) for 1 item"). Am I stupid or is that item the folder itself? But if so, why doesn't the finder search setting "Number of Files equals 0"return those empty folders?
– Cb31w01
Jan 23 at 15:15
Did you try to open Terminal, type
ls -la then drag and drop one of your "empty folder" in the terminal, and press "enter" to check if you see some hidden file?– Yoric
Jan 23 at 14:18
Did you try to open Terminal, type
ls -la then drag and drop one of your "empty folder" in the terminal, and press "enter" to check if you see some hidden file?– Yoric
Jan 23 at 14:18
@Yoric Thanks for the advice, but nothing showed up. Now I've been trying different things and it seems like every folder now has one "hidden" item (even "Get info" on folders I just created returns "Zero bytes (Zero bytes on disk) for 1 item"). Am I stupid or is that item the folder itself? But if so, why doesn't the finder search setting "Number of Files equals 0"return those empty folders?
– Cb31w01
Jan 23 at 15:15
@Yoric Thanks for the advice, but nothing showed up. Now I've been trying different things and it seems like every folder now has one "hidden" item (even "Get info" on folders I just created returns "Zero bytes (Zero bytes on disk) for 1 item"). Am I stupid or is that item the folder itself? But if so, why doesn't the finder search setting "Number of Files equals 0"return those empty folders?
– Cb31w01
Jan 23 at 15:15
add a comment |
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Did you try to open Terminal, type
ls -lathen drag and drop one of your "empty folder" in the terminal, and press "enter" to check if you see some hidden file?– Yoric
Jan 23 at 14:18
@Yoric Thanks for the advice, but nothing showed up. Now I've been trying different things and it seems like every folder now has one "hidden" item (even "Get info" on folders I just created returns "Zero bytes (Zero bytes on disk) for 1 item"). Am I stupid or is that item the folder itself? But if so, why doesn't the finder search setting "Number of Files equals 0"return those empty folders?
– Cb31w01
Jan 23 at 15:15