It is created and maintained by the Finder application in every folder, and has functions similar to the file desktop.ini in Microsoft Windows.
Although primarily used by the Finder, these files were envisioned as a more general-purpose store of metadata about the display options of folders, such as icon positions and view settings.
[9] Since macOS High Sierra (10.13), Apple delays the metadata gathering for .DS_Store for folders sorted alphanumerically to improve browsing speed.
[12] .DS_Store files may impose additional burdens on a revision control process, since they are frequently changed and can therefore appear in commits, unless specifically excluded.
[17][18] Some Google Drive users on macOS reported that .DS_Store files were being flagged for copyright violations.