Environment

MEDIA_BAD_REMOVAL

public static final String MEDIA_BAD_REMOVAL

Storage state if the media was removed before it was unmounted.

Constant Value: "bad_removal"

MEDIA_CHECKING

public static final String MEDIA_CHECKING

Storage state if the media is present and being disk-checked.

Constant Value: "checking"

MEDIA_EJECTING

public static final String MEDIA_EJECTING

Storage state if the media is in the process of being ejected.

Constant Value: "ejecting"

MEDIA_MOUNTED

public static final String MEDIA_MOUNTED

Storage state if the media is present and mounted at its mount point with read/write access.

Constant Value: "mounted"

MEDIA_MOUNTED_READ_ONLY

public static final String MEDIA_MOUNTED_READ_ONLY

Storage state if the media is present and mounted at its mount point with read-only access.

Constant Value: "mounted_ro"

MEDIA_NOFS

public static final String MEDIA_NOFS

Storage state if the media is present but is blank or is using an unsupported filesystem.

Constant Value: "nofs"

MEDIA_REMOVED

public static final String MEDIA_REMOVED

Storage state if the media is not present.

Constant Value: "removed"

MEDIA_SHARED

public static final String MEDIA_SHARED

Storage state if the media is present not mounted, and shared via USB mass storage.

Constant Value: "shared"

MEDIA_UNKNOWN

public static final String MEDIA_UNKNOWN

Unknown storage state, such as when a path isn't backed by known storage media.

Constant Value: "unknown"

MEDIA_UNMOUNTABLE

public static final String MEDIA_UNMOUNTABLE

Storage state if the media is present but cannot be mounted. Typically this happens if the file system on the media is corrupted.

Constant Value: "unmountable"

MEDIA_UNMOUNTED

public static final String MEDIA_UNMOUNTED

Storage state if the media is present but not mounted.

Constant Value: "unmounted"

DIRECTORY_ALARMS

public static String DIRECTORY_ALARMS

Standard directory in which to place any audio files that should be in the list of alarms that the user can select (not as regular music). This may be combined with DIRECTORY_MUSIC, DIRECTORY_AUDIOBOOKS, DIRECTORY_PODCASTS, DIRECTORY_NOTIFICATIONS, DIRECTORY_RINGTONES, and DIRECTORY_RECORDINGS as a series of directories to categorize a particular audio file as more than one type.

DIRECTORY_AUDIOBOOKS

public static String DIRECTORY_AUDIOBOOKS

Standard directory in which to place any audio files that should be in the list of audiobooks that the user can select (not as regular music). This may be combined with DIRECTORY_MUSIC, DIRECTORY_PODCASTS, DIRECTORY_NOTIFICATIONS, DIRECTORY_ALARMS, DIRECTORY_RINGTONES, and DIRECTORY_RECORDINGS as a series of directories to categorize a particular audio file as more than one type.

DIRECTORY_DCIM

public static String DIRECTORY_DCIM

The traditional location for pictures and videos when mounting the device as a camera. Note that this is primarily a convention for the top-level public directory, as this convention makes no sense elsewhere.

DIRECTORY_DOCUMENTS

public static String DIRECTORY_DOCUMENTS

Standard directory in which to place documents that have been created by the user.

DIRECTORY_DOWNLOADS

public static String DIRECTORY_DOWNLOADS

Standard directory in which to place files that have been downloaded by the user. Note that this is primarily a convention for the top-level public directory, you are free to download files anywhere in your own private directories. Also note that though the constant here is named DIRECTORY_DOWNLOADS (plural), the actual file name is non-plural for backwards compatibility reasons.

DIRECTORY_MOVIES

public static String DIRECTORY_MOVIES

Standard directory in which to place movies that are available to the user. Note that this is primarily a convention for the top-level public directory, as the media scanner will find and collect movies in any directory.

DIRECTORY_MUSIC

public static String DIRECTORY_MUSIC

Standard directory in which to place any audio files that should be in the regular list of music for the user. This may be combined with DIRECTORY_AUDIOBOOKS, DIRECTORY_PODCASTS, DIRECTORY_NOTIFICATIONS, DIRECTORY_ALARMS, DIRECTORY_RINGTONES, and DIRECTORY_RECORDINGS as a series of directories to categorize a particular audio file as more than one type.

DIRECTORY_NOTIFICATIONS

public static String DIRECTORY_NOTIFICATIONS

Standard directory in which to place any audio files that should be in the list of notifications that the user can select (not as regular music). This may be combined with DIRECTORY_MUSIC, DIRECTORY_AUDIOBOOKS, DIRECTORY_PODCASTS, DIRECTORY_ALARMS, DIRECTORY_RINGTONES, and DIRECTORY_RECORDINGS as a series of directories to categorize a particular audio file as more than one type.

DIRECTORY_PICTURES

public static String DIRECTORY_PICTURES

Standard directory in which to place pictures that are available to the user. Note that this is primarily a convention for the top-level public directory, as the media scanner will find and collect pictures in any directory.

DIRECTORY_PODCASTS

public static String DIRECTORY_PODCASTS

Standard directory in which to place any audio files that should be in the list of podcasts that the user can select (not as regular music). This may be combined with DIRECTORY_MUSIC, DIRECTORY_AUDIOBOOKS, DIRECTORY_NOTIFICATIONS, DIRECTORY_ALARMS, DIRECTORY_RINGTONES, and DIRECTORY_RECORDINGS as a series of directories to categorize a particular audio file as more than one type.

DIRECTORY_RECORDINGS

public static String DIRECTORY_RECORDINGS

Standard directory in which to place any audio files that should be in the list of voice recordings recorded by voice recorder apps that the user can select (not as regular music). This may be combined with DIRECTORY_MUSIC, DIRECTORY_AUDIOBOOKS, DIRECTORY_PODCASTS, DIRECTORY_NOTIFICATIONS, DIRECTORY_ALARMS, and DIRECTORY_RINGTONES as a series of directories to categorize a particular audio file as more than one type.

DIRECTORY_RINGTONES

public static String DIRECTORY_RINGTONES

Standard directory in which to place any audio files that should be in the list of ringtones that the user can select (not as regular music). This may be combined with DIRECTORY_MUSIC, DIRECTORY_AUDIOBOOKS, DIRECTORY_PODCASTS, DIRECTORY_NOTIFICATIONS, DIRECTORY_ALARMS, and DIRECTORY_RECORDINGS as a series of directories to categorize a particular audio file as more than one type.

DIRECTORY_SCREENSHOTS

public static String DIRECTORY_SCREENSHOTS

Standard directory in which to place screenshots that have been taken by the user. Typically used as a secondary directory under DIRECTORY_PICTURES.

Environment

public Environment ()

getDataDirectory

public static File getDataDirectory ()

Return the user data directory.

getDownloadCacheDirectory

public static File getDownloadCacheDirectory ()

Return the download/cache content directory.

getExternalStorageDirectory

public static File getExternalStorageDirectory ()

Return the primary shared/external storage directory. This directory may not currently be accessible if it has been mounted by the user on their computer, has been removed from the device, or some other problem has happened. You can determine its current state with getExternalStorageState().

Note: don't be confused by the word "external" here. This directory can better be thought as media/shared storage. It is a filesystem that can hold a relatively large amount of data and that is shared across all applications (does not enforce permissions). Traditionally this is an SD card, but it may also be implemented as built-in storage in a device that is distinct from the protected internal storage and can be mounted as a filesystem on a computer.

On devices with multiple users (as described by UserManager), each user has their own isolated shared storage. Applications only have access to the shared storage for the user they're running as.

In devices with multiple shared/external storage directories, this directory represents the primary storage that the user will interact with. Access to secondary storage is available through Context#getExternalFilesDirs(String), Context#getExternalCacheDirs(), and Context#getExternalMediaDirs().

Applications should not directly use this top-level directory, in order to avoid polluting the user's root namespace. Any files that are private to the application should be placed in a directory returned by Context.getExternalFilesDir, which the system will take care of deleting if the application is uninstalled. Other shared files should be placed in one of the directories returned by getExternalStoragePublicDirectory(String).

Writing to this path requires the Manifest.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission, and starting in Build.VERSION_CODES.KITKAT, read access requires the Manifest.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission, which is automatically granted if you hold the write permission.

Starting in Build.VERSION_CODES.KITKAT, if your application only needs to store internal data, consider using Context#getExternalFilesDir(String), Context#getExternalCacheDir(), or Context#getExternalMediaDirs(), which require no permissions to read or write.

This path may change between platform versions, so applications should only persist relative paths.

Here is an example of typical code to monitor the state of external storage:

BroadcastReceiver mExternalStorageReceiver;
boolean mExternalStorageAvailable = false;
boolean mExternalStorageWriteable = false;

void updateExternalStorageState() {
    String state = Environment.getExternalStorageState();
    if (Environment.MEDIA_MOUNTED.equals(state)) {
        mExternalStorageAvailable = mExternalStorageWriteable = true;
    } else if (Environment.MEDIA_MOUNTED_READ_ONLY.equals(state)) {
        mExternalStorageAvailable = true;
        mExternalStorageWriteable = false;
    } else {
        mExternalStorageAvailable = mExternalStorageWriteable = false;
    }
    handleExternalStorageState(mExternalStorageAvailable,
            mExternalStorageWriteable);
}

void startWatchingExternalStorage() {
    mExternalStorageReceiver = new BroadcastReceiver() {
        @Override
        public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
            Log.i("test", "Storage: " + intent.getData());
            updateExternalStorageState();
        }
    };
    IntentFilter filter = new IntentFilter();
    filter.addAction(Intent.ACTION_MEDIA_MOUNTED);
    filter.addAction(Intent.ACTION_MEDIA_REMOVED);
    registerReceiver(mExternalStorageReceiver, filter);
    updateExternalStorageState();
}

void stopWatchingExternalStorage() {
    unregisterReceiver(mExternalStorageReceiver);
}

Note that alternatives such as Context#getExternalFilesDir(String) or MediaStore offer better performance.

getExternalStoragePublicDirectory

public static File getExternalStoragePublicDirectory (String type)

Get a top-level shared/external storage directory for placing files of a particular type. This is where the user will typically place and manage their own files, so you should be careful about what you put here to ensure you don't erase their files or get in the way of their own organization.

On devices with multiple users (as described by UserManager), each user has their own isolated shared storage. Applications only have access to the shared storage for the user they're running as.

Here is an example of typical code to manipulate a picture on the public shared storage:

void createExternalStoragePublicPicture() {
    // Create a path where we will place our picture in the user's
    // public pictures directory.  Note that you should be careful about
    // what you place here, since the user often manages these files.  For
    // pictures and other media owned by the application, consider
    // Context.getExternalMediaDir().
    File path = Environment.getExternalStoragePublicDirectory(
            Environment.DIRECTORY_PICTURES);
    File file = new File(path, "DemoPicture.jpg");

    try {
        // Make sure the Pictures directory exists.
        path.mkdirs();

        // Very simple code to copy a picture from the application's
        // resource into the external file.  Note that this code does
        // no error checking, and assumes the picture is small (does not
        // try to copy it in chunks).  Note that if external storage is
        // not currently mounted this will silently fail.
        InputStream is = getResources().openRawResource(R.drawable.balloons);
        OutputStream os = new FileOutputStream(file);
        byte[] data = new byte[is.available()];
        is.read(data);
        os.write(data);
        is.close();
        os.close();

        // Tell the media scanner about the new file so that it is
        // immediately available to the user.
        MediaScannerConnection.scanFile(this,
                new String[] { file.toString() }, null,
                new MediaScannerConnection.OnScanCompletedListener() {
            public void onScanCompleted(String path, Uri uri) {
                Log.i("ExternalStorage", "Scanned " + path + ":");
                Log.i("ExternalStorage", "-> uri=" + uri);
            }
        });
    } catch (IOException e) {
        // Unable to create file, likely because external storage is
        // not currently mounted.
        Log.w("ExternalStorage", "Error writing " + file, e);
    }
}

void deleteExternalStoragePublicPicture() {
    // Create a path where we will place our picture in the user's
    // public pictures directory and delete the file.  If external
    // storage is not currently mounted this will fail.
    File path = Environment.getExternalStoragePublicDirectory(
            Environment.DIRECTORY_PICTURES);
    File file = new File(path, "DemoPicture.jpg");
    file.delete();
}

boolean hasExternalStoragePublicPicture() {
    // Create a path where we will place our picture in the user's
    // public pictures directory and check if the file exists.  If
    // external storage is not currently mounted this will think the
    // picture doesn't exist.
    File path = Environment.getExternalStoragePublicDirectory(
            Environment.DIRECTORY_PICTURES);
    File file = new File(path, "DemoPicture.jpg");
    return file.exists();
}

Note that alternatives such as Context#getExternalFilesDir(String) or MediaStore offer better performance.

getExternalStorageState

public static String getExternalStorageState ()

Returns the current state of the primary shared/external storage media.

getExternalStorageState

public static String getExternalStorageState (File path)

Returns the current state of the shared/external storage media at the given path.

getRootDirectory

public static File getRootDirectory ()

Return root of the "system" partition holding the core Android OS. Always present and mounted read-only.

getStorageDirectory

public static File getStorageDirectory ()

Return root directory where all external storage devices will be mounted. For example, getExternalStorageDirectory() will appear under this location.

getStorageState

public static String getStorageState (File path)

This method was deprecated in API level 21.
use getExternalStorageState(java.io.File)

isExternalStorageEmulated

public static boolean isExternalStorageEmulated ()

Returns whether the primary shared/external storage media is emulated.

The contents of emulated storage devices are backed by a private user data partition, which means there is little benefit to apps storing data here instead of the private directories returned by Context#getFilesDir(), etc.

This returns true when emulated storage is backed by either internal storage or an adopted storage device.

isExternalStorageEmulated

public static boolean isExternalStorageEmulated (File path)

Returns whether the shared/external storage media at the given path is emulated.

The contents of emulated storage devices are backed by a private user data partition, which means there is little benefit to apps storing data here instead of the private directories returned by Context#getFilesDir(), etc.

This returns true when emulated storage is backed by either internal storage or an adopted storage device.

isExternalStorageLegacy

public static boolean isExternalStorageLegacy (File path)

Returns whether the shared/external storage media is a legacy view that includes files not owned by the app.

This value may be different from the value requested by requestLegacyExternalStorage in the app's manifest, since an app may inherit its legacy state based on when it was first installed, target sdk and other factors.

Non-legacy apps can continue to discover and read media belonging to other apps via MediaStore.

isExternalStorageLegacy

public static boolean isExternalStorageLegacy ()

Returns whether the shared/external storage media is a legacy view that includes files not owned by the app.

This value may be different from the value requested by requestLegacyExternalStorage in the app's manifest, since an app may inherit its legacy state based on when it was first installed, target sdk and other factors.

Non-legacy apps can continue to discover and read media belonging to other apps via MediaStore.

isExternalStorageManager

public static boolean isExternalStorageManager ()

Returns whether the calling app has All Files Access on the primary shared/external storage media.

Declaring the permission Manifest.permission.MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE isn't enough to gain the access.

To request access, use Settings.ACTION_MANAGE_APP_ALL_FILES_ACCESS_PERMISSION.

isExternalStorageManager

public static boolean isExternalStorageManager (File path)

Returns whether the calling app has All Files Access at the given path

Declaring the permission Manifest.permission.MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE isn't enough to gain the access.

To request access, use Settings.ACTION_MANAGE_APP_ALL_FILES_ACCESS_PERMISSION.

isExternalStorageRemovable

public static boolean isExternalStorageRemovable (File path)

Returns whether the shared/external storage media at the given path is physically removable.

isExternalStorageRemovable

public static boolean isExternalStorageRemovable ()

Returns whether the primary shared/external storage media is physically removable.