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.
• 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.

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.

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.	~/Documents (conceptually)	Common; persists; user data you want backed up (unless excluded).
.cachesDirectory	13	Discardable cache files (Library/Caches).	~/Library/Caches	Common; system may purge.
.applicationSupportDirectory	14	App support files (Library/Application Support).	~/Library/Application Support	Common; good for non-user-facing persistent data.
.libraryDirectory	5	“Documentation, support, and configuration” (/Library).	/Library (domain-dependent)	Often maps inside the app container (Library/...).
.downloadsDirectory	15	The user’s downloads directory.	~/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.	~/Desktop	Generally not meaningful inside an iOS app sandbox.
.moviesDirectory	17	Movies folder.	~/Movies	Generally not meaningful inside an iOS app sandbox.
.musicDirectory	18	Music folder.	~/Music	Generally not meaningful inside an iOS app sandbox.
.picturesDirectory	19	Pictures folder.	~/Pictures	Generally not meaningful inside an iOS app sandbox.
.sharedPublicDirectory	21	Shared “Public” folder.	~/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.	/Applications (domain-dependent)	Not typically meaningful on iOS.
.allApplicationsDirectory	100	All application directories (across domains).	Multiple	Not typically meaningful on iOS.
.demoApplicationDirectory	2	Unsupported apps / demo versions.	System-defined	Not typically meaningful on iOS.
.adminApplicationDirectory	4	System/network admin apps.	System-defined	Not typically meaningful on iOS.
.developerApplicationDirectory	3	Developer apps (/Developer/Applications).	/Developer/Applications	Not typically meaningful on iOS.
.developerDirectory	6	Developer resources (/Developer).	/Developer	Not typically meaningful on iOS.
.documentationDirectory	8	Documentation directory.	System-defined	Not typically meaningful on iOS.
.coreServiceDirectory	10	Core services (System/Library/CoreServices).	/System/Library/CoreServices	Not typically meaningful on iOS.
.userDirectory	7	User home directories (/Users).	/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).	~/Library/Input Methods	Not typically meaningful on iOS.
.printerDescriptionDirectory	20	Printer descriptions.	System-defined	Not typically meaningful on iOS.
.preferencePanesDirectory	22	System Preferences panes (Library/PreferencePanes).	/Library/PreferencePanes or ~/Library/PreferencePanes	Not typically meaningful on iOS.
.allLibrariesDirectory	101	All library directories where resources can be stored.	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).	~/Library/Autosave Information	Not commonly used in iOS app code.
.applicationScriptsDirectory	23	Per-app user scripts folder (~/Library/Application Scripts/<code-signing-id>).	~/Library/Application Scripts/<bundle-id-ish>	macOS sandbox feature; not an iOS concept.
.itemReplacementDirectory	99	Temporary directory used for safe file replacement workflows.	Volume-appropriate temp dir	Useful when doing atomic-ish replaces; platform-dependent.
.trashDirectory	102	The Trash directory.	~/.Trash (non-sandboxed)	Exists as an API; on iOS, Apple notes it’s within the app’s sandbox for URL.trashDirectory.

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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!