PySide6.QtCore.QStandardPaths¶

class QStandardPaths¶

The QStandardPaths class provides methods for accessing standard paths.

Details

This class contains functions to query standard locations on the local filesystem, for common tasks such as user-specific directories or system-wide configuration directories.

Synopsis¶

Static functions¶

def displayName()
def findExecutable()
def isTestModeEnabled()
def locate()
def locateAll()
def setTestModeEnabled()
def standardLocations()
def writableLocation()

Note

This documentation may contain snippets that were automatically translated from C++ to Python. We always welcome contributions to the snippet translation. If you see an issue with the translation, you can also let us know by creating a ticket on https:/bugreports.qt.io/projects/PYSIDE

class StandardLocation¶

This enum describes the different locations that can be queried using methods such as writableLocation() , standardLocations() , and displayName() .

QStandardPaths describes each location along two independent axes: app scope (private to the calling application or shared between applications) and user scope (rooted in the calling user’s directories or system-wide). Each enum value below indicates its app scope; the platform tables further down show its user scope.

Data interchange with other users is out of the scope of QStandardPaths .

App scope¶

A location is either application-specific (private to the calling application) or generic (shared between applications run by the same user). Application-specific locations should be assumed to be unreachable by other applications, even when run by the same user.

Sandboxed applications¶

For sandboxed applications, on platforms such as iOS, Android, or macOS, even generic locations can be rooted in the application’s sandbox container (<APPROOT> in the tables below). In practice this collapses the app-scope distinction, with every location becoming effectively application-specific, and the user’s system-wide shared directories reachable only through system-provided pickers, for example, QFileDialog.

User scope¶

A location is either user-local (rooted in the calling user’s home or per-user directories) or system-wide (populated by the OS or by package managers, shared across users, and usually read-only to applications).

Querying writableLocation() returns the directory where files should be written, which is typically user-scoped. For application-specific locations it is also scoped to the calling application.

Querying standardLocations() returns the writable path first (if it can be determined), followed by zero or more additional locations, including both user-local and system-wide fallbacks. The additional locations are used by locate() and locateAll() to find existing files.

Sandboxed applications¶

For sandboxed applications, system-wide locations typically fall outside the application’s sandbox container, and may not exist from the application’s point of view, let alone be readable or writable. They are still listed in the platform tables below for symmetry with the non-sandboxed case, and to cover applications that have been granted access through entitlements or user-driven pickers. Callers should not assume that every entry returned by standardLocations() exists or is accessible.

Constant

Description

QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.DesktopLocation

The user’s desktop directory. On systems with no concept of a desktop, this is the same as HomeLocation. Generic.

QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.DocumentsLocation

Directory containing document files. The returned path is never empty. Generic.

QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.FontsLocation

Directory containing fonts. Note that installing fonts may require additional, platform-specific operations. Generic.

QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.ApplicationsLocation

Directory containing applications (either executables, application bundles, or shortcuts to them). Note that installing applications may require additional, platform-specific operations. Files, folders, or shortcuts in this directory are platform-specific. Generic.

QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.MusicLocation

Directory containing music or other audio files. If no such directory exists, a sensible fallback for storing documents is returned. Generic.

QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.MoviesLocation

Directory containing movies and videos. If no such directory exists, a sensible fallback for storing documents is returned. Generic.

QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.PicturesLocation

Directory containing pictures or photos. If no such directory exists, a sensible fallback for storing documents is returned. Generic.

QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.TempLocation

Directory where temporary files can be stored. The returned value might be application-specific, shared among other applications for this user, or even system-wide. The returned path is never empty. Varies.

QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.HomeLocation

The user’s home directory (the same as homePath() ). On Unix systems, this is equal to the HOME environment variable. The returned path is never empty. Generic.

QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.AppLocalDataLocation

The local data path on Windows. On all other platforms, the same as AppDataLocation. Application-specific. This enum value was added in Qt 5.4.

QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.CacheLocation

Directory where non-essential (cached) data should be written. The returned path is never empty. Application-specific.

QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.GenericCacheLocation

Directory where non-essential (cached) data shared across applications should be written. Note that the returned path may be empty if the system has no concept of shared cache. Generic.

QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.GenericDataLocation

Directory where persistent data shared across applications can be stored. The returned path is never empty. Generic.

QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.RuntimeLocation

Directory where runtime communication files should be written, like Unix local sockets. The returned path may be empty on some systems. Generic.

QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.ConfigLocation

Directory where configuration files should be written. The returned path is never empty. May be generic or application-specific (see AppConfigLocation and GenericConfigLocation for explicit variants). Varies.

QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.DownloadLocation

Directory for downloaded files. If no such directory exists, a sensible fallback for storing documents is returned. Generic.

QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.GenericConfigLocation

Directory where configuration files shared between multiple applications should be written. The returned path is never empty. Generic.

QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.AppDataLocation

Directory where persistent application data can be stored. To obtain a path to store data to be shared with other applications, use GenericDataLocation. The returned path is never empty. On Windows, this returns the roaming path. Application-specific. This enum value was added in Qt 5.4.

QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.AppConfigLocation

Directory where configuration files should be written. The returned path is never empty. Application-specific. This enum value was added in Qt 5.5.

QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.PublicShareLocation

Directory where publicly shared files and directories can be stored. Note that the returned path may be empty if the system has no concept of a publicly shared location. Generic. This enum value was added in Qt 6.4.

QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.TemplatesLocation

Directory where template files can be stored. Note that the returned path may be empty if the system has no concept of a templates location. Generic. This enum value was added in Qt 6.4.

QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.StateLocation

Directory where application state data files should be written. The returned path is never empty. Application-specific.

QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.GenericStateLocation

Directory where shared state data files across applications should be written. The returned path is never empty. Generic.

Constant	Description
QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.DesktopLocation	The user’s desktop directory. On systems with no concept of a desktop, this is the same as HomeLocation. Generic.
QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.DocumentsLocation	Directory containing document files. The returned path is never empty. Generic.
QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.FontsLocation	Directory containing fonts. Note that installing fonts may require additional, platform-specific operations. Generic.
QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.ApplicationsLocation	Directory containing applications (either executables, application bundles, or shortcuts to them). Note that installing applications may require additional, platform-specific operations. Files, folders, or shortcuts in this directory are platform-specific. Generic.
QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.MusicLocation	Directory containing music or other audio files. If no such directory exists, a sensible fallback for storing documents is returned. Generic.
QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.MoviesLocation	Directory containing movies and videos. If no such directory exists, a sensible fallback for storing documents is returned. Generic.
QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.PicturesLocation	Directory containing pictures or photos. If no such directory exists, a sensible fallback for storing documents is returned. Generic.
QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.TempLocation	Directory where temporary files can be stored. The returned value might be application-specific, shared among other applications for this user, or even system-wide. The returned path is never empty. Varies.
QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.HomeLocation	The user’s home directory (the same as `homePath()` ). On Unix systems, this is equal to the HOME environment variable. The returned path is never empty. Generic.
QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.AppLocalDataLocation	The local data path on Windows. On all other platforms, the same as AppDataLocation. Application-specific. This enum value was added in Qt 5.4.
QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.CacheLocation	Directory where non-essential (cached) data should be written. The returned path is never empty. Application-specific.
QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.GenericCacheLocation	Directory where non-essential (cached) data shared across applications should be written. Note that the returned path may be empty if the system has no concept of shared cache. Generic.
QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.GenericDataLocation	Directory where persistent data shared across applications can be stored. The returned path is never empty. Generic.
QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.RuntimeLocation	Directory where runtime communication files should be written, like Unix local sockets. The returned path may be empty on some systems. Generic.
QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.ConfigLocation	Directory where configuration files should be written. The returned path is never empty. May be generic or application-specific (see AppConfigLocation and GenericConfigLocation for explicit variants). Varies.
QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.DownloadLocation	Directory for downloaded files. If no such directory exists, a sensible fallback for storing documents is returned. Generic.
QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.GenericConfigLocation	Directory where configuration files shared between multiple applications should be written. The returned path is never empty. Generic.
QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.AppDataLocation	Directory where persistent application data can be stored. To obtain a path to store data to be shared with other applications, use GenericDataLocation. The returned path is never empty. On Windows, this returns the roaming path. Application-specific. This enum value was added in Qt 5.4.
QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.AppConfigLocation	Directory where configuration files should be written. The returned path is never empty. Application-specific. This enum value was added in Qt 5.5.
QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.PublicShareLocation	Directory where publicly shared files and directories can be stored. Note that the returned path may be empty if the system has no concept of a publicly shared location. Generic. This enum value was added in Qt 6.4.
QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.TemplatesLocation	Directory where template files can be stored. Note that the returned path may be empty if the system has no concept of a templates location. Generic. This enum value was added in Qt 6.4.
QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.StateLocation	Directory where application state data files should be written. The returned path is never empty. Application-specific.
QStandardPaths.StandardLocation.GenericStateLocation	Directory where shared state data files across applications should be written. The returned path is never empty. Generic.

The following table gives examples of paths on different operating systems. The first path is the writable path (unless noted). Other, additional paths, if any, represent non-writable locations.

Path type

macOS

Windows

DesktopLocation

“~/Desktop”

“C:/Users/<USER>/Desktop”

DocumentsLocation

“~/Documents”

“C:/Users/<USER>/Documents”

FontsLocation

“~/Library/Fonts”, “/Library/Fonts”, “/System/Library/Fonts”

“C:/Windows/Fonts” (not writable)

ApplicationsLocation

“~/Applications”, “/Applications”

“C:/Users/<USER>/AppData/Roaming/Microsoft/Windows/Start Menu/Programs”

MusicLocation

“~/Music”

“C:/Users/<USER>/Music”

MoviesLocation

“~/Movies”

“C:/Users/<USER>/Videos”

PicturesLocation

“~/Pictures”

“C:/Users/<USER>/Pictures”

TempLocation

randomly generated by the OS

“C:/Users/<USER>/AppData/Local/Temp”

HomeLocation

“~”

“C:/Users/<USER>”

AppLocalDataLocation

“~/Library/Application Support/<APPNAME>”, “/Library/Application Support/<APPNAME>”. “<APPDIR>/../Resources”

“C:/Users/<USER>/AppData/Local/<APPNAME>”, “C:/ProgramData/<APPNAME>”, “<APPDIR>”, “<APPDIR>/data”, “<APPDIR>/data/<APPNAME>”

CacheLocation

“~/Library/Caches/<APPNAME>”, “/Library/Caches/<APPNAME>”

“C:/Users/<USER>/AppData/Local/<APPNAME>/cache”

StateLocation

“~/Library/Preferences/<APPNAME>/State”

“C:/Users/<USER>/AppData/Local/<APPNAME>/State”, “C:/ProgramData/<APPNAME>/State”

GenericDataLocation

“~/Library/Application Support”, “/Library/Application Support”

“C:/Users/<USER>/AppData/Local”, “C:/ProgramData”, “<APPDIR>”, “<APPDIR>/data”

RuntimeLocation

“~/Library/Application Support”

“C:/Users/<USER>”

ConfigLocation

“~/Library/Preferences”, “/Library/Preferences”

“C:/Users/<USER>/AppData/Local/<APPNAME>”, “C:/ProgramData/<APPNAME>”

GenericConfigLocation

“~/Library/Preferences”, “/Library/Preferences”

“C:/Users/<USER>/AppData/Local”, “C:/ProgramData”

DownloadLocation

“~/Downloads”

“C:/Users/<USER>/Downloads”

GenericCacheLocation

“~/Library/Caches”, “/Library/Caches”, “/System/Library/Caches”

“C:/Users/<USER>/AppData/Local/cache”

GenericStateLocation

“~/Library/Preferences/State”

“C:/Users/<USER>/AppData/Local/State”, “C:/ProgramData/State”

AppDataLocation

“~/Library/Application Support/<APPNAME>”, “/Library/Application Support/<APPNAME>”. “<APPDIR>/../Resources”

“C:/Users/<USER>/AppData/Roaming/<APPNAME>”, “C:/ProgramData/<APPNAME>”, “<APPDIR>”, “<APPDIR>/data”, “<APPDIR>/data/<APPNAME>”

AppConfigLocation

“~/Library/Preferences/<APPNAME>”, “/Library/Preferences/<APPNAME>”

“C:/Users/<USER>/AppData/Local/<APPNAME>”, “C:/ProgramData/<APPNAME>”

PublicShareLocation

“~/Public”

“C:/Users/Public”

TemplatesLocation

not supported

“C:/Users/<USER>/AppData/Roaming/Microsoft/Windows/Templates”

Path type	macOS	Windows
DesktopLocation	“~/Desktop”	“C:/Users/<USER>/Desktop”
DocumentsLocation	“~/Documents”	“C:/Users/<USER>/Documents”
FontsLocation	“~/Library/Fonts”, “/Library/Fonts”, “/System/Library/Fonts”	“C:/Windows/Fonts” (not writable)
ApplicationsLocation	“~/Applications”, “/Applications”	“C:/Users/<USER>/AppData/Roaming/Microsoft/Windows/Start Menu/Programs”
MusicLocation	“~/Music”	“C:/Users/<USER>/Music”
MoviesLocation	“~/Movies”	“C:/Users/<USER>/Videos”
PicturesLocation	“~/Pictures”	“C:/Users/<USER>/Pictures”
TempLocation	randomly generated by the OS	“C:/Users/<USER>/AppData/Local/Temp”
HomeLocation	“~”	“C:/Users/<USER>”
AppLocalDataLocation	“~/Library/Application Support/<APPNAME>”, “/Library/Application Support/<APPNAME>”. “<APPDIR>/../Resources”	“C:/Users/<USER>/AppData/Local/<APPNAME>”, “C:/ProgramData/<APPNAME>”, “<APPDIR>”, “<APPDIR>/data”, “<APPDIR>/data/<APPNAME>”
CacheLocation	“~/Library/Caches/<APPNAME>”, “/Library/Caches/<APPNAME>”	“C:/Users/<USER>/AppData/Local/<APPNAME>/cache”
StateLocation	“~/Library/Preferences/<APPNAME>/State”	“C:/Users/<USER>/AppData/Local/<APPNAME>/State”, “C:/ProgramData/<APPNAME>/State”
GenericDataLocation	“~/Library/Application Support”, “/Library/Application Support”	“C:/Users/<USER>/AppData/Local”, “C:/ProgramData”, “<APPDIR>”, “<APPDIR>/data”
RuntimeLocation	“~/Library/Application Support”	“C:/Users/<USER>”
ConfigLocation	“~/Library/Preferences”, “/Library/Preferences”	“C:/Users/<USER>/AppData/Local/<APPNAME>”, “C:/ProgramData/<APPNAME>”
GenericConfigLocation	“~/Library/Preferences”, “/Library/Preferences”	“C:/Users/<USER>/AppData/Local”, “C:/ProgramData”
DownloadLocation	“~/Downloads”	“C:/Users/<USER>/Downloads”
GenericCacheLocation	“~/Library/Caches”, “/Library/Caches”, “/System/Library/Caches”	“C:/Users/<USER>/AppData/Local/cache”
GenericStateLocation	“~/Library/Preferences/State”	“C:/Users/<USER>/AppData/Local/State”, “C:/ProgramData/State”
AppDataLocation	“~/Library/Application Support/<APPNAME>”, “/Library/Application Support/<APPNAME>”. “<APPDIR>/../Resources”	“C:/Users/<USER>/AppData/Roaming/<APPNAME>”, “C:/ProgramData/<APPNAME>”, “<APPDIR>”, “<APPDIR>/data”, “<APPDIR>/data/<APPNAME>”
AppConfigLocation	“~/Library/Preferences/<APPNAME>”, “/Library/Preferences/<APPNAME>”	“C:/Users/<USER>/AppData/Local/<APPNAME>”, “C:/ProgramData/<APPNAME>”
PublicShareLocation	“~/Public”	“C:/Users/Public”
TemplatesLocation	not supported	“C:/Users/<USER>/AppData/Roaming/Microsoft/Windows/Templates”

Note

On macOS, when the application is sandboxed, the operating system transparently redirects the user’s home directory to a per-application container at ~/Library/Containers/<BUNDLE-ID>/Data. The macOS table above still applies, with ~ effectively resolving to <APPROOT> for user-rooted entries. System-wide fallbacks such as /Library/..., /System/Library/..., and <APPDIR>/../Resources are listed for symmetry but are typically not reachable without explicit entitlements.

Path type	Linux and other UNIX operating systems
DesktopLocation	“~/Desktop”
DocumentsLocation	“~/Documents”
FontsLocation	“~/.fonts”, “~/.local/share/fonts”, “/usr/local/share/fonts”, “/usr/share/fonts”
ApplicationsLocation	“~/.local/share/applications”, “/usr/local/share/applications”, “/usr/share/applications”
MusicLocation	“~/Music”
MoviesLocation	“~/Videos”
PicturesLocation	“~/Pictures”
TempLocation	“/tmp”
HomeLocation	“~”
AppLocalDataLocation	“~/.local/share/<APPNAME>”, “/usr/local/share/<APPNAME>”, “/usr/share/<APPNAME>”
CacheLocation	“~/.cache/<APPNAME>”
StateLocation	“~/.local/state/<APPNAME>”
GenericDataLocation	“~/.local/share”, “/usr/local/share”, “/usr/share”
RuntimeLocation	“/run/user/<USER>”
ConfigLocation	“~/.config”, “/etc/xdg”
GenericConfigLocation	“~/.config”, “/etc/xdg”
DownloadLocation	“~/Downloads”
GenericCacheLocation	“~/.cache”
GenericStateLocation	“~/.local/state”
AppDataLocation	“~/.local/share/<APPNAME>”, “/usr/local/share/<APPNAME>”, “/usr/share/<APPNAME>”
AppConfigLocation	“~/.config/<APPNAME>”, “/etc/xdg/<APPNAME>”
PublicShareLocation	“~/Public”
TemplatesLocation	“~/Templates”

Path type	Android	iOS
DesktopLocation	“<APPROOT>/files”	“<APPROOT>/Documents/Desktop”
DocumentsLocation	“<USER>/Documents” [*], “<USER>/<APPNAME>/Documents”	“<APPROOT>/Documents”
FontsLocation	“/system/fonts” (not writable)	“<APPROOT>/Library/Fonts”
ApplicationsLocation	not supported (directory not readable)	not supported
MusicLocation	“<USER>/Music” [*], “<USER>/<APPNAME>/Music”	“<APPROOT>/Documents/Music”
MoviesLocation	“<USER>/Movies” [*], “<USER>/<APPNAME>/Movies”	“<APPROOT>/Documents/Movies”
PicturesLocation	“<USER>/Pictures” [*], “<USER>/<APPNAME>/Pictures”	“<APPROOT>/Documents/Pictures”, “assets-library://”
TempLocation	“<APPROOT>/cache”	“<APPROOT>/tmp”
HomeLocation	“<APPROOT>/files”	system defined
AppLocalDataLocation	“<APPROOT>/files”, “<USER>/<APPNAME>/files”	“<APPROOT>/Library/Application Support”
CacheLocation	“<APPROOT>/cache”, “<USER>/<APPNAME>/cache”	“<APPROOT>/Library/Caches”
StateLocation	“<APPROOT>/files/state”	“<APPROOT>/Library/Preferences/<APPNAME>/State”
GenericStateLocation (there is shared state)	“<APPROOT>/files/state”	“<APPROOT>/Library/Preferences/State”
GenericDataLocation	“<USER>” [*] or “<USER>/<APPNAME>/files”	“<APPROOT>/Library/Application Support”
RuntimeLocation	“<APPROOT>/cache”	“<APPROOT>/Library/Application Support”
ConfigLocation	“<APPROOT>/files/settings”	“<APPROOT>/Library/Preferences”
GenericConfigLocation	“<APPROOT>/files/settings” (there is no shared settings)	“<APPROOT>/Library/Preferences”
DownloadLocation	“<USER>/Downloads” [*], “<USER>/<APPNAME>/Downloads”	“<APPROOT>/Documents/Downloads”
GenericCacheLocation	“<APPROOT>/cache” (there is no shared cache)	“<APPROOT>/Library/Caches”
AppDataLocation	“<APPROOT>/files”, “<USER>/<APPNAME>/files”	“<APPROOT>/Library/Application Support”
AppConfigLocation	“<APPROOT>/files/settings”	“<APPROOT>/Library/Preferences/<APPNAME>”
PublicShareLocation	not supported	“<APPROOT>/Public”
TemplatesLocation	not supported	not supported

In the table above, <APPNAME> is usually the organization name, the application name, or both, or a unique name generated at packaging. Similarly, <APPROOT> is the location where this application is installed (often a sandbox). <APPDIR> is the directory containing the application executable.

The paths above should not be relied upon, as they may change according to OS configuration, locale, or they may change in future Qt versions.

Note

On Android, applications with open files on the external storage (<USER> locations), will be killed if the external storage is unmounted.

Note

On Android 6.0 (API 23) or higher, the “WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE” permission must be requested at runtime when using writableLocation() or standardLocations() .

Note

On Android, reading/writing to GenericDataLocation needs the READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE/WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission granted.

Note

[*] On Android 11 and above, public directories are no longer directly accessible in scoped storage mode. Thus, paths of the form "<USER>/DirName" are not returned. Instead, you can use QFileDialog which uses the Storage Access Framework (SAF) to access such directories.

Note

On iOS, if you do pass QStandardPaths::standardLocations(QStandardPaths::PicturesLocation).last() as argument to QFileDialog::setDirectory(), a native image picker dialog will be used for accessing the user’s photo album. The filename returned can be loaded using QFile and related APIs. This feature was added in Qt 5.5.

Constant	Description
QStandardPaths.LocateOption.LocateFile	return only files
QStandardPaths.LocateOption.LocateDirectory	return only directories