How to Clear Extended Attributes on Mac OS

Extended attributes are attached to third-party files on a Mac, including files you download from the Internet. Extended attributes are present on files that have an "@" sign at the end of their file permissions. The reason an extended attribute is put on a file is to allow the file's creator to associate the file with metadata not supported by Mac OS X. Removing extended attributes can speed up a slow-running Mac, but it also means those files with extended attributes may not work properly anymore.

Instructions

1. Open "Terminal" in the Disk Utility folder inside your Applications folder.

2. Type the following in the Terminal text box:

   "for i in $(ls -Rl@ | grep '^ ' | awk '{print $1}' | sort -u); \ do echo Removing $i ... >&2; \ find . | xargs xattr -d $i 2>/dev/null ; done"

   Create the space after the carat by pressing "Ctrl-V" and then "Tab."

3. Press "Return" for the action to take place.

References

• Gerry: Managing files with extended attributes on Mac OS X
• BrT: Removing all extended attributes from a directory tree