Remove __MACOSX from a ZIP
Drop a ZIP made on a Mac and save a clean copy without the __MACOSX folder, .DS_Store and ._ files. Everything else is copied untouched.
Set a password to lock the archive with AES-256 encryption. Leave blank for a normal ZIP.
How to remove __MACOSX from a ZIP
- Drop the
.ziponto the box above. Its contents open in the list. - Leave Strip hidden system files ticked. You can also remove or rename other files while you are here.
- Click Save edited ZIP. The status line says how many hidden files were stripped, and the clean ZIP downloads.
Where __MACOSX comes from
When you compress a folder in the macOS Finder, it stores extra Mac information for each file, such as Finder tags and quarantine flags, as a hidden ._ file inside a __MACOSX folder in the ZIP. Finder also leaves .DS_Store files with window settings in every folder it has shown. On a Mac you never see them. Everyone else does.
On Windows and Linux they show up as a confusing extra folder and dozens of tiny files. Learning platforms, app stores, theme marketplaces and automated upload checks often reject a ZIP because of them, or count them as extra files.
What gets removed
- the
__MACOSXfolder and everything in it .DS_Storefiles in any folder- AppleDouble
._namefiles outside__MACOSX - Windows leftovers:
Thumbs.dbanddesktop.ini
Nothing else is touched. The remaining files are copied into the new ZIP exactly as they were stored, without being decompressed and compressed again, so saving is fast and the contents are byte-for-byte identical. Your original ZIP is only read, never changed.
Stop the Mac from adding them
The junk is added by Finder’s Compress command. ZIPs made with the Terminal command zip -r -X archive.zip folder, or made on the Zip & Unzip page, which strips these files by default, come out clean from the start.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to delete the __MACOSX folder?
Yes. It only holds Mac-specific extras such as Finder tags and resource forks. The real files are stored separately, and nothing outside macOS uses the __MACOSX data.
Are the other files recompressed or changed?
No. They are copied into the new ZIP as they are stored in the old one, so the contents stay byte-for-byte identical.
Is my ZIP uploaded?
No. The ZIP is read and the clean copy is written in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server.
Does it work with password-protected ZIPs?
Yes. The hidden files are removed and the encrypted entries are copied as they are, still encrypted with the same password.
Can I clean several ZIPs at once?
One at a time for now. Each cleaned ZIP takes a few seconds, since nothing is recompressed.