FileManager.SearchPathDirectory (Swift / Foundation)

FileManager.SearchPathDirectory (Swift / Foundation)

FileManager.SearchPathDirectory is an enum that identifies “well-known” directory locations. You typically use it with:

• FileManager.default.urls(for:in:) to locate common directories. :contentReferenceoaicite:0
  

• FileManager.default.url(for:in:appropriateFor:create:) to locate (and optionally create) a directory, and (notably) to get a temporary directory on a specific volume via .itemReplacementDirectory. :contentReferenceoaicite:1

Practical note for iOS developers: Many cases correspond to macOS “system” or user-facing folders (Desktop, Movies, PreferencePanes, etc.). In iOS app sandboxes, only a small subset is typically meaningful (most commonly .documentDirectory, .cachesDirectory, .applicationSupportDirectory, and .libraryDirectory). Apple’s APIs still define the cases, but whether a directory is returned depends on platform, sandboxing, and domain mask.

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The members (all cases)

The list below matches the canonical NSSearchPathDirectory set (the Objective-C ancestor of these directory constants), including raw values. :contentReferenceoaicite:2

Legend

• Typical path (macOS): conventional location on macOS (not guaranteed; don’t hard-code).
• iOS sandbox reality: whether it’s commonly used/meaningful in an iOS app sandbox (high-level guidance).

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Directory Locations (cases)

Core app-storage cases (commonly relevant on iOS)

Case	Raw value	What it’s for	Typical path (macOS)	iOS sandbox reality
.documentDirectory	9	User documents. :contentReferenceoaicite:3	~/Documents (conceptually)	Common; persists; user data you want backed up (unless excluded).
.cachesDirectory	13	Discardable cache files (Library/Caches). :contentReferenceoaicite:4	~/Library/Caches	Common; system may purge.
.applicationSupportDirectory	14	App support files (Library/Application Support). :contentReferenceoaicite:5	~/Library/Application Support	Common; good for non-user-facing persistent data.
.libraryDirectory	5	“Documentation, support, and configuration” (/Library). :contentReferenceoaicite:6	/Library (domain-dependent)	Often maps inside the app container (Library/...).
.downloadsDirectory	15	The user’s downloads directory. :contentReferenceoaicite:7	~/Downloads	Usually not a meaningful concept for sandboxed iOS apps.

User-facing media/UI folders (mostly macOS user domain)

Case	Raw value	What it’s for	Typical path (macOS)	iOS sandbox reality
.desktopDirectory	12	The user’s Desktop. :contentReferenceoaicite:8	~/Desktop	Generally not meaningful inside an iOS app sandbox.
.moviesDirectory	17	Movies folder. :contentReferenceoaicite:9	~/Movies	Generally not meaningful inside an iOS app sandbox.
.musicDirectory	18	Music folder. :contentReferenceoaicite:10	~/Music	Generally not meaningful inside an iOS app sandbox.
.picturesDirectory	19	Pictures folder. :contentReferenceoaicite:11	~/Pictures	Generally not meaningful inside an iOS app sandbox.
.sharedPublicDirectory	21	Shared “Public” folder. :contentReferenceoaicite:12	~/Public	Generally not meaningful inside an iOS app sandbox.

System / developer / admin locations (macOS-oriented)

Case	Raw value	What it’s for	Typical path (macOS)	iOS sandbox reality
.applicationDirectory	1	Installed applications. :contentReferenceoaicite:13	/Applications (domain-dependent)	Not typically meaningful on iOS.
.allApplicationsDirectory	100	All application directories (across domains). :contentReferenceoaicite:14	Multiple	Not typically meaningful on iOS.
.demoApplicationDirectory	2	Unsupported apps / demo versions. :contentReferenceoaicite:15	System-defined	Not typically meaningful on iOS.
.adminApplicationDirectory	4	System/network admin apps. :contentReferenceoaicite:16	System-defined	Not typically meaningful on iOS.
.developerApplicationDirectory	3	Developer apps (/Developer/Applications). :contentReferenceoaicite:17	/Developer/Applications	Not typically meaningful on iOS.
.developerDirectory	6	Developer resources (/Developer). :contentReferenceoaicite:18	/Developer	Not typically meaningful on iOS.
.documentationDirectory	8	Documentation directory. :contentReferenceoaicite:19	System-defined	Not typically meaningful on iOS.
.coreServiceDirectory	10	Core services (System/Library/CoreServices). :contentReferenceoaicite:20	/System/Library/CoreServices	Not typically meaningful on iOS.
.userDirectory	7	User home directories (/Users). :contentReferenceoaicite:21	/Users	Not meaningful in iOS sandbox.

System configuration / integration folders (macOS-oriented)

Case	Raw value	What it’s for	Typical path (macOS)	iOS sandbox reality
.inputMethodsDirectory	16	Input Methods (Library/Input Methods). :contentReferenceoaicite:22	~/Library/Input Methods	Not typically meaningful on iOS.
.printerDescriptionDirectory	20	Printer descriptions. :contentReferenceoaicite:23	System-defined	Not typically meaningful on iOS.
.preferencePanesDirectory	22	System Preferences panes (Library/PreferencePanes). :contentReferenceoaicite:24	/Library/PreferencePanes or ~/Library/PreferencePanes	Not typically meaningful on iOS.
.allLibrariesDirectory	101	All library directories where resources can be stored. :contentReferenceoaicite:25	Multiple	Not typically meaningful on iOS.

Autosave, scripts, temporary replacement, trash

Case	Raw value	What it’s for	Typical path (macOS)	iOS sandbox reality
.autosavedInformationDirectory	11	Autosaved docs (Library/Autosave Information). :contentReferenceoaicite:26	~/Library/Autosave Information	Not commonly used in iOS app code.
.applicationScriptsDirectory	23	Per-app user scripts folder (~/Library/Application Scripts/<code-signing-id>). :contentReferenceoaicite:27	~/Library/Application Scripts/<bundle-id-ish>	macOS sandbox feature; not an iOS concept.
.itemReplacementDirectory	99	Temporary directory used for safe file replacement workflows. :contentReferenceoaicite:28	Volume-appropriate temp dir	Useful when doing atomic-ish replaces; platform-dependent.
.trashDirectory	102	The Trash directory. :contentReferenceoaicite:29	~/.Trash (non-sandboxed)	Exists as an API; on iOS, Apple notes it’s within the app’s sandbox for URL.trashDirectory. :contentReferenceoaicite:30

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Usage patterns (Swift)

1) Preferred: urls(for:in:)

let fm = FileManager.default

let documents = fm.urls(for: .documentDirectory, in: .userDomainMask).first!
let caches    = fm.urls(for: .cachesDirectory, in: .userDomainMask).first!
let appSup    = fm.urls(for: .applicationSupportDirectory, in: .userDomainMask).first!