Version: v7

@capacitor/filesystem

The Filesystem API provides a NodeJS-like API for working with files on the device.

Install

npm install @capacitor/filesystem
npx cap sync

Apple Privacy Manifest Requirements

Apple mandates that app developers now specify approved reasons for API usage to enhance user privacy. By May 1st, 2024, it's required to include these reasons when submitting apps to the App Store Connect.

When using this specific plugin in your app, you must create a PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy file in /ios/App or use the VS Code Extension to generate it, specifying the usage reasons.

For detailed steps on how to do this, please see the Capacitor Docs.

For this plugin, the required dictionary key is NSPrivacyAccessedAPICategoryFileTimestamp and the recommended reason is C617.1.

Example PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
  <dict>
    <key>NSPrivacyAccessedAPITypes</key>
    <array>
      <!-- Add this dict entry to the array if the PrivacyInfo file already exists -->
      <dict>
        <key>NSPrivacyAccessedAPIType</key>
        <string>NSPrivacyAccessedAPICategoryFileTimestamp</string>
        <key>NSPrivacyAccessedAPITypeReasons</key>
        <array>
          <string>C617.1</string>
        </array>
      </dict>
    </array>
  </dict>
</plist>

Migrating from downloadFile to File Transfer plugin

As of version 7.1.0, the downloadFile functionality in the Filesystem plugin has been deprecated in favor of the new @capacitor/file-transfer plugin.

Installing the File Transfer plugin

npm install @capacitor/file-transfer
npx cap sync

Migration example

Before (using Filesystem plugin):

import { Filesystem, Directory } from '@capacitor/filesystem';

await Filesystem.downloadFile({
  url: 'https://example.com/file.pdf',
  path: 'downloaded-file.pdf',
  directory: Directory.Documents,
  progress: true
});

// Progress events
Filesystem.addListener('progress', (progress) => {
  console.log(`Downloaded ${progress.bytes} of ${progress.contentLength}`);
});

After (using File Transfer plugin):

import { FileTransfer } from '@capacitor/file-transfer';
import { Filesystem, Directory } from '@capacitor/filesystem';

// First get the full file path using Filesystem
const fileInfo = await Filesystem.getUri({
  directory: Directory.Documents,
  path: 'downloaded-file.pdf'
});

// Then use the FileTransfer plugin to download
await FileTransfer.downloadFile({
  url: 'https://example.com/file.pdf',
  path: fileInfo.uri,
  progress: true
});

// Progress events
FileTransfer.addListener('progress', (progress) => {
  console.log(`Downloaded ${progress.bytes} of ${progress.contentLength}`);
});

The File Transfer plugin offers improved reliability, better error handling with specific error codes, and also adds upload functionality.

iOS

To have files appear in the Files app, you must also set the following keys to YES in Info.plist:

UIFileSharingEnabled (Application supports iTunes file sharing)
LSSupportsOpeningDocumentsInPlace (Supports opening documents in place)

Read about Configuring iOS for help.

Android

If using Directory.Documents or Directory.ExternalStorage, in Android 10 and older, this API requires the following permissions be added to your AndroidManifest.xml:

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"/>
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />

Read about Setting Permissions in the Android Guide for more information on setting Android permissions.

Note that Directory.ExternalStorage is only available on Android 9 or older and Directory.Documents only allows to access the files/folders created by your app on Android on Android 11 and newer.

Working with large files may require you to add android:largeHeap="true" to the <application> tag in AndroidManifest.xml.

Understanding Directories and Files

iOS and Android have additional layers of separation between files, such as special directories that are backed up to the Cloud, or ones for storing Documents. The Filesystem API offers a simple way to scope each operation to a specific special directory on the device.

Additionally, the Filesystem API supports using full file:// paths, or reading content:// files on Android. Simply leave out the directory param to use a full file path.

Example

import { Filesystem, Directory, Encoding } from "@capacitor/filesystem";

const writeSecretFile = async () => {
  await Filesystem.writeFile({
    path: "secrets/text.txt",
    data: "This is a test",
    directory: Directory.Documents,
    encoding: Encoding.UTF8,
  });
};

const readSecretFile = async () => {
  const contents = await Filesystem.readFile({
    path: "secrets/text.txt",
    directory: Directory.Documents,
    encoding: Encoding.UTF8,
  });

  console.log("secrets:", contents);
};

const deleteSecretFile = async () => {
  await Filesystem.deleteFile({
    path: "secrets/text.txt",
    directory: Directory.Documents,
  });
};

const readFilePath = async () => {
  // Here's an example of reading a file with a full file path. Use this to
  // read binary data (base64 encoded) from plugins that return File URIs, such as
  // the Camera.
  const contents = await Filesystem.readFile({
    path: "file:///var/mobile/Containers/Data/Application/22A433FD-D82D-4989-8BE6-9FC49DEA20BB/Documents/text.txt",
  });

  console.log("data:", contents);
};

API

checkPermissions()
requestPermissions()
readFile(...)
readFileInChunks(...)
writeFile(...)
appendFile(...)
deleteFile(...)
mkdir(...)
rmdir(...)
readdir(...)
getUri(...)
stat(...)
rename(...)
copy(...)
downloadFile(...)
addListener('progress', ...)
removeAllListeners()
Interfaces
Type Aliases
Enums

For list of existing error codes, see Errors.

checkPermissions()

checkPermissions() => Promise<PermissionStatus>

Check read/write permissions. Required on Android, only when using Directory.Documents or Directory.ExternalStorage.

Returns:

Promise<PermissionStatus>

Since: 1.0.0

requestPermissions()

requestPermissions() => Promise<PermissionStatus>

Request read/write permissions. Required on Android, only when using Directory.Documents or Directory.ExternalStorage.

Returns:

Promise<PermissionStatus>

Since: 1.0.0

readFile(...)

readFile(options: ReadFileOptions) => Promise<ReadFileResult>

Read a file from disk

Param	Type
`options`	`ReadFileOptions`

Returns:

Promise<ReadFileResult>

Since: 1.0.0

readFileInChunks(...)

readFileInChunks(options: ReadFileInChunksOptions, callback: ReadFileInChunksCallback) => Promise<CallbackID>

Read a file from disk, in chunks. Native only (not available in web). Use the callback to receive each read chunk. If empty chunk is returned, it means file has been completely read.

Param	Type
`options`	`ReadFileInChunksOptions`
`callback`	`ReadFileInChunksCallback`

Returns: Promise<string>

Since: 7.1.0

writeFile(...)

writeFile(options: WriteFileOptions) => Promise<WriteFileResult>

Write a file to disk in the specified location on device

Param	Type
`options`	`WriteFileOptions`

Returns:

Promise<WriteFileResult>

Since: 1.0.0

appendFile(...)

appendFile(options: AppendFileOptions) => Promise<void>

Append to a file on disk in the specified location on device

Param	Type
`options`	`AppendFileOptions`

Since: 1.0.0

deleteFile(...)

deleteFile(options: DeleteFileOptions) => Promise<void>

Delete a file from disk

Param	Type
`options`	`DeleteFileOptions`

Since: 1.0.0

mkdir(...)

mkdir(options: MkdirOptions) => Promise<void>

Create a directory.

Param	Type
`options`	`MkdirOptions`

Since: 1.0.0

rmdir(...)

rmdir(options: RmdirOptions) => Promise<void>

Remove a directory

Param	Type
`options`	`RmdirOptions`

Since: 1.0.0

readdir(...)

readdir(options: ReaddirOptions) => Promise<ReaddirResult>

Return a list of files from the directory (not recursive)

Param	Type
`options`	`ReaddirOptions`

Returns:

Promise<ReaddirResult>

Since: 1.0.0

getUri(...)

getUri(options: GetUriOptions) => Promise<GetUriResult>

Return full File URI for a path and directory

Param	Type
`options`	`GetUriOptions`

Returns:

Promise<GetUriResult>

Since: 1.0.0

stat(...)

stat(options: StatOptions) => Promise<StatResult>

Return data about a file

Param	Type
`options`	`StatOptions`

Returns:

Promise<FileInfo>

Since: 1.0.0

rename(...)

rename(options: RenameOptions) => Promise<void>

Rename a file or directory

Param	Type
`options`	`CopyOptions`

Since: 1.0.0

copy(...)

copy(options: CopyOptions) => Promise<CopyResult>

Copy a file or directory

Param	Type
`options`	`CopyOptions`

Returns:

Promise<CopyResult>

Since: 1.0.0

downloadFile(...)

downloadFile(options: DownloadFileOptions) => Promise<DownloadFileResult>

Perform a http request to a server and download the file to the specified destination.

This method has been deprecated since version 7.1.0. We recommend using the @capacitor/file-transfer plugin instead, in conjunction with this plugin.

Param	Type
`options`	`DownloadFileOptions`

Returns:

Promise<DownloadFileResult>

Since: 5.1.0

addListener('progress', ...)

addListener(eventName: 'progress', listenerFunc: ProgressListener) => Promise<PluginListenerHandle>

Add a listener to file download progress events.

This method has been deprecated since version 7.1.0. We recommend using the @capacitor/file-transfer plugin instead, in conjunction with this plugin.

Param	Type
`eventName`	`'progress'`
`listenerFunc`	`ProgressListener`

Returns:

Promise<PluginListenerHandle>

Since: 5.1.0

removeAllListeners()

removeAllListeners() => Promise<void>

Remove all listeners for this plugin.

This method has been deprecated since version 7.1.0. We recommend using the @capacitor/file-transfer plugin instead, in conjunction with this plugin.

Since: 5.2.0

Interfaces

PermissionStatus

Prop	Type
`publicStorage`	`PermissionState`

ReadFileResult

Prop	Type	Description	Since
`data`	`string \| Blob`	The representation of the data contained in the file Note: Blob is only available on Web. On native, the data is returned as a string.	1.0.0

ReadFileOptions

Prop	Type	Description	Since
`path`	`string`	The path of the file to read	1.0.0
`directory`	`Directory`	The `Directory` to read the file from	1.0.0
`encoding`	`Encoding`	The encoding to read the file in, if not provided, data is read as binary and returned as base64 encoded. Pass Encoding.UTF8 to read data as string	1.0.0

ReadFileInChunksOptions

Prop	Type	Description	Since
`chunkSize`	`number`	Size of the chunks in bytes.	7.1.0

WriteFileResult

Prop	Type	Description	Since
`uri`	`string`	The uri where the file was written into	1.0.0

WriteFileOptions

Prop	Type	Description	Default	Since
`path`	`string`	The path of the file to write		1.0.0
`data`	`string \| Blob`	The data to write Note: Blob data is only supported on Web.		1.0.0
`directory`	`Directory`	The `Directory` to store the file in		1.0.0
`encoding`	`Encoding`	The encoding to write the file in. If not provided, data is written as base64 encoded. Pass Encoding.UTF8 to write data as string		1.0.0
`recursive`	`boolean`	Whether to create any missing parent directories.	`false`	1.0.0

AppendFileOptions

Prop	Type	Description	Since
`path`	`string`	The path of the file to append	1.0.0
`data`	`string`	The data to write	1.0.0
`directory`	`Directory`	The `Directory` to store the file in	1.0.0
`encoding`	`Encoding`	The encoding to write the file in. If not provided, data is written as base64 encoded. Pass Encoding.UTF8 to write data as string	1.0.0

DeleteFileOptions

Prop	Type	Description	Since
`path`	`string`	The path of the file to delete	1.0.0
`directory`	`Directory`	The `Directory` to delete the file from	1.0.0

MkdirOptions

Prop	Type	Description	Default	Since
`path`	`string`	The path of the new directory		1.0.0
`directory`	`Directory`	The `Directory` to make the new directory in		1.0.0
`recursive`	`boolean`	Whether to create any missing parent directories as well.	`false`	1.0.0

RmdirOptions

Prop	Type	Description	Default	Since
`path`	`string`	The path of the directory to remove		1.0.0
`directory`	`Directory`	The `Directory` to remove the directory from		1.0.0
`recursive`	`boolean`	Whether to recursively remove the contents of the directory	`false`	1.0.0

ReaddirResult

Prop	Type	Description	Since
`files`	`FileInfo[]`	List of files and directories inside the directory	1.0.0

FileInfo

Prop	Type	Description	Since
`name`	`string`	Name of the file or directory.	7.1.0
`type`	`'file' \| 'directory'`	Type of the file.	4.0.0
`size`	`number`	Size of the file in bytes.	4.0.0
`ctime`	`number`	Time of creation in milliseconds. It's not available on Android 7 and older devices.	7.1.0
`mtime`	`number`	Time of last modification in milliseconds.	7.1.0
`uri`	`string`	The uri of the file.	4.0.0

ReaddirOptions

Prop	Type	Description	Since
`path`	`string`	The path of the directory to read	1.0.0
`directory`	`Directory`	The `Directory` to list files from	1.0.0

GetUriResult

Prop	Type	Description	Since
`uri`	`string`	The uri of the file	1.0.0

GetUriOptions

Prop	Type	Description	Since
`path`	`string`	The path of the file to get the URI for	1.0.0
`directory`	`Directory`	The `Directory` to get the file under	1.0.0

StatOptions

Prop	Type	Description	Since
`path`	`string`	The path of the file to get data about	1.0.0
`directory`	`Directory`	The `Directory` to get the file under	1.0.0

CopyOptions

Prop	Type	Description	Since
`from`	`string`	The existing file or directory	1.0.0
`to`	`string`	The destination file or directory	1.0.0
`directory`	`Directory`	The `Directory` containing the existing file or directory	1.0.0
`toDirectory`	`Directory`	The `Directory` containing the destination file or directory. If not supplied will use the 'directory' parameter as the destination	1.0.0

CopyResult

Prop	Type	Description	Since
`uri`	`string`	The uri where the file was copied into	4.0.0

DownloadFileResult

Prop	Type	Description	Since
`path`	`string`	The path the file was downloaded to.	5.1.0
`blob`	`Blob`	The blob data of the downloaded file. This is only available on web.	5.1.0

DownloadFileOptions

Prop	Type	Description	Default	Since
`path`	`string`	The path the downloaded file should be moved to.		5.1.0
`directory`	`Directory`	The directory to write the file to. If this option is used, filePath can be a relative path rather than absolute. The default is the `DATA` directory.		5.1.0
`progress`	`boolean`	An optional listener function to receive downloaded progress events. If this option is used, progress event should be dispatched on every chunk received. Chunks are throttled to every 100ms on Android/iOS to avoid slowdowns.		5.1.0
`recursive`	`boolean`	Whether to create any missing parent directories.	`false`	5.1.2

PluginListenerHandle

Prop	Type
`remove`	`() => Promise<void>`

ProgressStatus

Prop	Type	Description	Since
`url`	`string`	The url of the file being downloaded.	5.1.0
`bytes`	`number`	The number of bytes downloaded so far.	5.1.0
`contentLength`	`number`	The total number of bytes to download for this file.	5.1.0

Type Aliases

PermissionState

'prompt' | 'prompt-with-rationale' | 'granted' | 'denied'

ReadFileInChunksCallback

Callback for receiving chunks read from a file, or error if something went wrong.

(chunkRead: ReadFileResult | null, err?: any): void

CallbackID

string

StatResult

FileInfo

RenameOptions

CopyOptions

ProgressListener

A listener function that receives progress events.

(progress: ProgressStatus): void

Enums

Members	Value	Description	Since
`Documents`	`'DOCUMENTS'`	The Documents directory. On iOS it's the app's documents directory. Use this directory to store user-generated content. On Android it's the Public Documents folder, so it's accessible from other apps. It's not accessible on Android 10 unless the app enables legacy External Storage by adding `android:requestLegacyExternalStorage="true"` in the `application` tag in the `AndroidManifest.xml`. On Android 11 or newer the app can only access the files/folders the app created.	1.0.0
`Data`	`'DATA'`	The Data directory. On iOS it will use the Documents directory. On Android it's the directory holding application files. Files will be deleted when the application is uninstalled.	1.0.0
`Library`	`'LIBRARY'`	The Library directory. On iOS it will use the Library directory. On Android it's the directory holding application files. Files will be deleted when the application is uninstalled.	1.1.0
`Cache`	`'CACHE'`	The Cache directory. Can be deleted in cases of low memory, so use this directory to write app-specific files. that your app can re-create easily.	1.0.0
`External`	`'EXTERNAL'`	The external directory. On iOS it will use the Documents directory. On Android it's the directory on the primary shared/external storage device where the application can place persistent files it owns. These files are internal to the applications, and not typically visible to the user as media. Files will be deleted when the application is uninstalled.	1.0.0
`ExternalStorage`	`'EXTERNAL_STORAGE'`	The external storage directory. On iOS it will use the Documents directory. On Android it's the primary shared/external storage directory. It's not accessible on Android 10 unless the app enables legacy External Storage by adding `android:requestLegacyExternalStorage="true"` in the `application` tag in the `AndroidManifest.xml`. It's not accessible on Android 11 or newer.	1.0.0
`ExternalCache`	`'EXTERNAL_CACHE'`	The external cache directory. On iOS it will use the Documents directory. On Android it's the primary shared/external cache.	7.1.0
`LibraryNoCloud`	`'LIBRARY_NO_CLOUD'`	The Library directory without cloud backup. Used in iOS. On Android it's the directory holding application files.	7.1.0
`Temporary`	`'TEMPORARY'`	A temporary directory for iOS. On Android it's the directory holding the application cache.	7.1.0

Encoding

Members	Value	Description	Since
`UTF8`	`'utf8'`	Eight-bit UCS Transformation Format	1.0.0
`ASCII`	`'ascii'`	Seven-bit ASCII, a.k.a. ISO646-US, a.k.a. the Basic Latin block of the Unicode character set This encoding is only supported on Android.	1.0.0
`UTF16`	`'utf16'`	Sixteen-bit UCS Transformation Format, byte order identified by an optional byte-order mark This encoding is only supported on Android.	1.0.0

Errors

Since version 7.1.0, the plugin returns specific errors with specific codes on native Android and iOS. Web does not follow this standard for errors.

The following table list all the plugin errors:

Error code	Platform(s)	Message
OS-PLUG-FILE-0004	iOS	Cordova / Capacitor bridge isn’t initialized.
OS-PLUG-FILE-0005	Android, iOS	The method input parameters aren’t valid.
OS-PLUG-FILE-0006	Android, iOS	Invalid path was provided.
OS-PLUG-FILE-0007	Android	Unable to perform file operation, user denied permission request.
OS-PLUG-FILE-0008	Android, iOS	Operation failed because file does not exist.
OS-PLUG-FILE-0009	Android	Operation not supported for provided input.
OS-PLUG-FILE-0010	Android, iOS	Directory already exists, cannot be overwritten.
OS-PLUG-FILE-0011	Android, iOS	Missing parent directory – possibly recursive=false was passed or parent directory creation failed.
OS-PLUG-FILE-0012	Android, iOS	Cannot delete directory with children; received recursive=false but directory has contents.
OS-PLUG-FILE-0013	Android, iOS	The operation failed with an error.

Install​

Apple Privacy Manifest Requirements​

Example PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy​

Migrating from downloadFile to File Transfer plugin​

Installing the File Transfer plugin​

Migration example​

iOS​

Android​

Understanding Directories and Files​

Example​

API​

checkPermissions()​

requestPermissions()​

readFile(...)​

readFileInChunks(...)​

writeFile(...)​

appendFile(...)​

deleteFile(...)​

mkdir(...)​

rmdir(...)​

readdir(...)​

getUri(...)​

stat(...)​

rename(...)​

copy(...)​

downloadFile(...)​

addListener('progress', ...)​

removeAllListeners()​

Interfaces​

PermissionStatus​

ReadFileResult​

ReadFileOptions​

ReadFileInChunksOptions​

WriteFileResult​

WriteFileOptions​

AppendFileOptions​

DeleteFileOptions​

MkdirOptions​

RmdirOptions​

ReaddirResult​

FileInfo​

ReaddirOptions​

GetUriResult​

GetUriOptions​

StatOptions​

CopyOptions​

CopyResult​

DownloadFileResult​

DownloadFileOptions​

PluginListenerHandle​

ProgressStatus​

Type Aliases​

PermissionState​

ReadFileInChunksCallback​

CallbackID​

StatResult​

RenameOptions​

ProgressListener​

Enums​

Directory​

Encoding​

Errors​

Contents

Install

Apple Privacy Manifest Requirements

Example PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy

Migrating from downloadFile to File Transfer plugin

Installing the File Transfer plugin

Migration example

iOS

Android

Understanding Directories and Files

Example

API

checkPermissions()

requestPermissions()

readFile(...)

readFileInChunks(...)

writeFile(...)

appendFile(...)

deleteFile(...)

mkdir(...)

rmdir(...)

readdir(...)

getUri(...)

stat(...)

rename(...)

copy(...)

downloadFile(...)

addListener('progress', ...)

removeAllListeners()

Interfaces

PermissionStatus

ReadFileResult

ReadFileOptions

ReadFileInChunksOptions

WriteFileResult

WriteFileOptions

AppendFileOptions

DeleteFileOptions

MkdirOptions

RmdirOptions

ReaddirResult

FileInfo

ReaddirOptions

GetUriResult

GetUriOptions

StatOptions

CopyOptions

CopyResult

DownloadFileResult

DownloadFileOptions

PluginListenerHandle

ProgressStatus

Type Aliases

PermissionState

ReadFileInChunksCallback

CallbackID

StatResult

RenameOptions

ProgressListener

Enums

Directory

Encoding

Errors