🧹 How to Automatically Delete Microsoft Office and Apple Numbers Temp Files from Synology NAS in DSM or macOS 🧹
If you’re using a Synology NAS with macOS and Microsoft Office or iWork apps like Numbers, you’ve probably encountered files like these:
.smbdeleteAA12345
.sb-WordAutoSave.tmp
.~lock_budget.xlsx#These are not user errors. They’re autosave or lock files generated when macOS apps interact with documents on SMB shares. They build up over time and:
Clutter shared folders
Cause “file in use” or “permission denied” errors
Prevent users from saving or deleting files
Create support tickets for IT and MSPs
This guide explains how to automatically clean these files up using:
✅ A daily cleanup script on Synology
✅ A macOS app triggered by Calendar to clear files locally
✅ Why You Should Automate This
Removes invisible junk and locked temp files
Reduces support tickets and user frustration
Speeds up Finder and network folder performance
Eliminates Office/Numbers autosave problems
Keeps file shares clean without user involvement
🔍 Who Is This For?
This guide helps:
IT admins managing macOS devices on Synology shares
MSPs resolving ghost file issues
Teams using Word, Excel, Pages, or Numbers over a NAS
Anyone searching for:
Can’t delete .smbdelete files on Synology
Microsoft Office temp files stuck on Mac
Synology SMB .sb-* cleanup script
macOS Numbers temp file won’t delete
Office 365 autosave files on NAS
How to clean Office junk files from Synology share
macOS .smbdelete files clutter NAS
What are .smbdelete*** files?
⚠️ Why This Happens
Microsoft Office and Apple iWork apps (like Numbers or Pages) use background files to track autosaves, versions, and locks. Over SMB shares:
These files often fail to delete properly
macOS renames them to .smbdelete…
Synology doesn’t clean them up on its own
Over time, these build up and get stuck in recycle bins or working folders
Even Apple’s developer community and Mac sysadmins report that saving directly over SMB can result in stale temp files, especially in Office for Mac and iWork.
📞 Need Help?
We help businesses and MSPs automate IT maintenance tasks like this across Synology, Microsoft 365, and Apple ecosystems.
If you want us to implement this exact solution in your environment — or customise it for your workflow — get in touch.
🖥️ Synology NAS: Daily Cleanup Script
Use Synology’s built-in Task Scheduler to remove these junk files once per day.
📄 Code:
#!/bin/bash
find "/volume1/shared-folder-A" -type f \( -name '*.sb-*' -o -name '.smbdelete*' \) -exec rm -f {} \;
find "/volume1/shared-folder-B" -type f \( -name '*.sb-*' -o -name '.smbdelete*' \) -exec rm -f {} \;Note: Replace the /volume1/… paths with your actual internal folder paths. Avoid using public shares or externally writable locations.
🛠 Setup Steps:
Log in to DSM
Go to Control Panel → Task Scheduler
Create a User-defined script
Set the user to root
Set the schedule to daily at 19:00
In Run command, enter:
/bin/bash "/volume1/scripts/cleanup-temp.sh"
🍎 macOS: Local Cleanup Script Triggered by Calendar
Some of these junk files originate on the Mac before they even reach the NAS. You can automate cleanup locally by using a small app and Calendar triggers.
📄 Code (save as CleanSMBTempFiles.sh):
#!/bin/bash
find "/Volumes/YourNASShare" -type f \( -name ".sb-*" -o -name ".smbdelete*" -o -name "~*.tmp" \) -exec rm -f {} \;Note: Replace /Volumes/YourNASShare with the name of the mounted share visible in Finder when your NAS is connected.
🛠 Automator Setup:
Open Automator, choose Application
Add Run Shell Script
Enter:
/bin/bash /Users/yourname/Documents/CleanSMBTempFiles.shSave the app as: Run Cleanup.app
📅 Calendar Setup:
Open Calendar
Create a new event at 18:50 (before the NAS script runs)
In the Alert section: choose Custom → Open File → Run Cleanup.app
Set the event to repeat daily
Your Mac now self-cleans before the NAS job runs. No terminal, no popups, no user action needed.
