Develop Reference

Android M write to SD Card - Permission Denied

I'm trying to copy file from within my application to the SD card, but I get the error eacces (permission denied). The OS is Android M and I have allowed runtime Storage permissions (checked in app info). I have also set the uses-permission in AndroidManifest.xml
<application>...</application>
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
Doesn't work if I copy to SD card
Source: data/user/0/com.example.myapp/cache/SomeFile.txt
Destination: /storage/1032-2568/SomeFolder/
Error: java.io.FileNotFoundException: /storage/1032-2568/SomeFolder/SomeFile.txt: open failed: EACCES (Permission denied)
Works if I copy to internal storage
Source: data/user/0/com.example.myapp/cache/SomeFile.txt
Destination: /storage/emulated/0/SomeFolder/
Code to copy file from source to destination
/*
* Below are the parameters I have tried
*
* inputPath - data/user/0/com.example.myapp/cache or data/user/0/com.example.myapp/cache/
* inputFile - /SomeFile.txt or SomeFile.txt
* outputPath - /storage/1032-2568/SomeFolder/ or /storage/1032-2568/SomeFolder
*/
public static void copyFile(String inputPath, String inputFile, String outputPath) {
InputStream in = null;
OutputStream out = null;
try {
//create output directory if it doesn't exist
File dir = new File (outputPath);
if (!dir.exists()) {
dir.mkdirs();
}
in = new FileInputStream(inputPath + inputFile);
out = new FileOutputStream(outputPath + inputFile);
byte[] buffer = new byte[1024];
int read;
while ((read = in.read(buffer)) != -1) {
out.write(buffer, 0, read);
}
in.close();
// write the output file (You have now copied the file)
out.flush();
out.close();
}
catch (FileNotFoundException fnfe1) {
/* I get the error here */
Log.e("tag", fnfe1.getMessage());
}
catch (Exception e) {
Log.e("tag", e.getMessage());
}
}
ES File Explorer
I saw that ES File Explorer also cannot write anything on the SD Card on Redmi devices. Here's a video with solution. Following the steps worked for ES Explorer on my device. Can this be done programmatically?

As suggested by #CommonsWare here we have to use the new Storage Access Framework provided by android and will have to take permission from user to write SD card file as you said this is already written in the File Manager Application ES File Explorer.
Here is the code for Letting the user choose the "SD card" :
startActivityForResult(new Intent(Intent.ACTION_OPEN_DOCUMENT_TREE), requestCode);
which will look somewhat like this :
And get the Document path in pickedDirand pass further in your copyFile block
and use this path for writing the file :
public void onActivityResult(int requestCode, int resultCode, Intent resultData) {
if (resultCode != RESULT_OK)
return;
else {
Uri treeUri = resultData.getData();
DocumentFile pickedDir = DocumentFile.fromTreeUri(this, treeUri);
grantUriPermission(getPackageName(), treeUri, Intent.FLAG_GRANT_READ_URI_PERMISSION | Intent.FLAG_GRANT_WRITE_URI_PERMISSION);
getContentResolver().takePersistableUriPermission(treeUri, Intent.FLAG_GRANT_READ_URI_PERMISSION | Intent.FLAG_GRANT_WRITE_URI_PERMISSION);
copyFile(sdCard.toString(), "/File.txt", path + "/new", pickedDir);
}
}
public void copyFile(String inputPath, String inputFile, String outputPath, DocumentFile pickedDir) {
InputStream in = null;
OutputStream out = null;
try {
//create output directory if it doesn't exist
File dir = new File(outputPath);
if (!dir.exists()) {
dir.mkdirs();
}
in = new FileInputStream(inputPath + inputFile);
//out = new FileOutputStream(outputPath + inputFile);
DocumentFile file = pickedDir.createFile("//MIME type", outputPath);
out = getContentResolver().openOutputStream(file.getUri());
byte[] buffer = new byte[1024];
int read;
while ((read = in.read(buffer)) != -1) {
out.write(buffer, 0, read);
}
in.close();
// write the output file (You have now copied the file)
out.flush();
out.close();
} catch (FileNotFoundException fnfe1) {
/* I get the error here */
Log.e("tag", fnfe1.getMessage());
} catch (Exception e) {
Log.e("tag", e.getMessage());
}
}

You need to add permission request run time in Android 6.0 (API Level 23) and up, here is the official docs
This is the code for WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE
if (checkSelfPermission(android.Manifest.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE) == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED) {
Log.d(TAG,"Permission is granted");
return true;
}
Ask for permission else like this
ActivityCompat.requestPermissions(this, new String[]{Manifest.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE}, REQUEST_CODE);

I have also got that problem but i solved by use the request the permission in run time and after forcefully give the permission.After the permission in App info of Android device. after declare the permission in manifest =>go to setting of your device => go to app info => go to permission =>
and finally allow the permission . just remember i just talking about after api level 22 means from marshmallow.

Its seems the runtime permission are implemented correctly but the issues seems from the device
If you are using Redmi than you have to manually allow the permission of specific app in Redmi security settings
This link shows how to enable permission in redmi security

After Android 4.3 on some devices, you can't get direct write access to FileSystem on SDcard.
You should use storage access framework for that.

I can see that you are copying the entire content of one file and trying to write the same to another file. I could suggest a better way to do this :
Assuming that you already checked for file existence
StringWriter temp=new StringWriter();
try{
FileInputStream fis=new FileInputStream(inputFile+inputPath);
int i;
while((i=fis.read())!=-1)
{
temp.write((char)i);
}
fis.close();
FileOutputStream fos = new FileOutputStream(outputPath, false); // true or false based on opening mode as appending or writing
fos.write(temp.toString(rs1).getBytes());
fos.close();
}
catch (Exception e){}
This code worked for my app...Let me know if this is working for you or not..

You can't copy or Delete files & Folder on external storage using third party app. like [file explorer].
It's data policy updated after KITKAT Version.
If only allow on system apps. So you can use an original file explorer (Come from ROM).
IF you need to use 3rd party app then ROOT your device. (Root permission is required)

android mkdirs not working

i need to save an image from camera on android.
i used the write external storage permission in manifest and i am using this code
File dir = new File(Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory(), "Test");
if (!dir.exists() || !dir.isDirectory())
dir.mkdirs();
String path = dir.getAbsolutePath();
Log.d(TAG, path); //log show the path
File file = new File(dir.getAbsolutePath() + "/Pic.jpg");
Log.d(TAG, file.getAbsolutePath()); //again path is shown here
outStream = new FileOutputStream(file);
outStream.write(bytes);
outStream.close();
Log.d(TAG, "onPictureTaken - wrote bytes: " + bytes.length); //fail here
} catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
Log.d(TAG, "not done"); //error is here (this exception is thrown)
} catch (IOException e) {
Log.d(TAG, "not");
} finally { }
i also tried mkdir() instead of mkdirs() same result.
any idea what went wrong in the code?
thanks

For those not as experienced like me. I fought this issue, lost hair for some time. I am targeting api 21 (for compatibility sake) and it worked on lollipop but on marshmallow it would not create the directory. I did have the "uses" permission in the manifest but it still would not work. Apparently in Marshmallow when you install with Android studio it never asks you if you should give it permission it just quietly fails, like you denied it. You must go into Settings, apps, select your application and flip the permission switch on.

Some one like me who was trying in Android10. Please use below API in manifest:
<application android:requestLegacyExternalStorage="true" ... >
...
</application>
Latest Update From Google:
After you update your app to target Android 11, the system ignores the requestLegacyExternalStorage flag.

Did you put
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
in your AndroidManifest? If you are using android M you must request user permission to write on sd, look here an example

IDIOT ME! i have used the Manifest Permission but when installed the app on phone i didnt grant permission for storage!... i understand a negative on this question... but i hope if someone else face the same..check your phone permission. sorry all for inconvenience.

you have created directory, not file. Create new file with following code
File file = new File(dir.getAbsolutePath() + "/Pic.jpg");
file.createNewFile()

if you are testing on android M, you should probably check Settings > App > Permission to see if permission to access storage is granted. This saved me.

if you already allowed R/W permission(Runtime Permission too) and still doesn't work add this below mentioned line in your AndroidManifest.xml
<application
........
........
android:requestLegacyExternalStorage="true">
Note: this must required if you'r targeting Android 10+

Starting from API 30 you can only write in your app-specific files
File dir = new File(context.getFilesDir(), "YOUR_DIR");
dir.mkdirs();
or in the external storage of your app Android/data
File dir = new File(myContext.getExternalFilesDir("FolderName"),"YOUR_DIR");
UPDATE
this answer provided another solution https://stackoverflow.com/a/65744517/8195076
UPDATE
another way is to grant this permission in manifest
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
like this answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/66968986/8195076

Try this. Provide runtime permission for marshmallow it is perfectly work in my Application code :
private String getFilename(String strFileName) {
String filepath = Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory().getPath();
File fileBase = new File(filepath, "Test");
if (!fileBase.exists()) {
fileBase.mkdirs();
}
return (file.getAbsolutePath() + "/" + strFileName + file_exts[currentFormat]);
}
new File(getFilename(edt.getText().toString().trim()))

outputFile = new File(apkStorage + "/" + downloadFileName );
//Create Output file in Main File
//Create New File if not present
if (!outputFile.exists()) {
isExternalStorageWritable();
outputFile.getParentFile().mkdirs();
outputFile.createNewFile();
Log.e(TAG, "File Created");
OutputStream fos = new FileOutputStream(outputFile);//Get OutputStream for NewFile Location
InputStream fis = c.getInputStream();//Get InputStream for connection
byte[] buffer = new byte[1024];//Set buffer type
int len1 = 0;//init length
while ((len1 = fis.read(buffer)) >0) {
fos.write(buffer, 0, len1);//Write new file
}
//Close all connection after doing task
fos.close();
fis.close();
I wrote this code for creating a file, but it is not working in android 11

when writing code for android API 29 and above use the following permission in your application manifest (AndroidManifest.xml)
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"/>
Adjust your code to read like the following
ActivityCompat.requestPermissions(this, new String[]
{
Manifest.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE,
Manifest.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE
},
PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED);
StrictMode.VmPolicy.Builder builder = new StrictMode.VmPolicy.Builder();
StrictMode.setVmPolicy(builder.build());
file = new File(Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory().getPath(), "TestDirectory/Document/");
if (!file.exists()) {
try {
file.mkdirs();
} catch (Exception e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}

java.io.FileNotFoundException Access is denied in Android

I am trying to store my output file in internal memory.but it throws java.io.FileNotFoundException Access is denied
private boolean crop() {
try {
FileOutputStream fos = null;
String filePath = CustomVideoGalleryActivity.videoPath.get(0);
Movie originalMovie = MovieCreator.build(filePath);
Track track = originalMovie.getTracks().get(0);
Movie movie = new Movie();
movie.addTrack(new AppendTrack(new CroppedTrack(track, 200, 800)));
Container out = new DefaultMp4Builder().build(movie);
String outputFilePath = Environment.getDataDirectory()+ "/output_crop.mp4";
fos = new FileOutputStream(new File(outputFilePath)); //throws Exception
out.writeContainer(fos.getChannel());
fos.close();
mProgressDialog.dismiss();
finish();
} catch (Exception e) {
Log.v("ONMESSAGE", e.toString());
e.printStackTrace();
mProgressDialog.dismiss();
return false;
}
return true;
}

You need to ask for write permission in your AndroidManifest.xml. In particular, the following line must be present:
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />

You shouldn't be looking at the Data Directory. This is a system directory in the phone's storage - usually /data - and your application will never have permission to write to it.
The directory your application should write files to is returned by the Context.getFilesDir() method. It will be something like /data/data/com.yourdomain.YourApp/files.
If you want to write to a file in the phone's storage use the Context.openFileOutput() method.
If you want the path to the SDCard then use Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory() method. To write to the SDCard you'll need to give your application the appropriate permissions by adding the following to your Manifest:
If you're going to write to the SDCard you'll also need to check its state with the getExternalStorageState() method.
If you're storing small files to do with your application then these can go into the phone's storage and not the SD Card, so use the Context.openFileOutput() and Context.openFileInput() methods.
So in your code consider something like:
OutputStream os = openFileOutput("samplefile.txt", MODE_PRIVATE);
BufferedWriter lout = new BufferedWriter(new OutputStreamWriter(os));

Android write files to USB via OTG cable

I've been searching for many topics about android file writing, yet most of them wanted to write files to android internal storage. Others who wanted to write files on external SD card didn't success at all. My case is quite similar but I think that writing files to external USB is a totally different case.
I am using Samsung galaxy Note II running stock TouchWiz 4.4.2 [not rooted]. My phone supports micro-USB-OTG and I can mount my USB as rwxrwx--x without rooting. The complete path of my USB is /storage/UsbDriveA.
I've tried to use Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory() to get the path or use the path (mentioned above) directly but neither of them succeed. The first one returns internal storage path and the second one returns an error with "permission denied". I have already put the
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
in Android Manifest so I wondered why my code didn't work.
Moreover, I can write anything to my USB using Root Browser (use it without root) and Simple Browser thus I believe that there's a way to do that.
Here's my code:
File file = new File(path.getAbsolutePath(), "test.txt");
// File file = new File("/storage/extSdCard","test.txt");
err = false;
try {
FileOutputStream f = new FileOutputStream(file);
PrintWriter pw = new PrintWriter(f);
pw.print(get);
pw.flush();
pw.close();
f.close();
}catch (Exception e) {
e.printStackTrace();
Toast.makeText(MainActivity.this, "writing error",Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
err = true;
}
Log.i("File Path:", file.getPath());

From android 4.4, you can use Storage Access Framework to access to removable media (see https://commonsware.com/blog/2014/04/09/storage-situation-removable-storage.html).
For example, I tried with success to copy a pdf file from local memory to removable memory connected by OTG adapter. The only limitation: the user has to choose a destination folder.
1) call Intent.ACTION_CREATE_DOCUMENT:
Intent intent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_CREATE_DOCUMENT);
intent.setType("application/pdf");
intent.putExtra(Intent.EXTRA_TITLE, file.getName());
startActivityForResult(intent, REQUEST_CODE);
2) intercept the return intent
#Override
protected void onActivityResult(int requestCode, int resultCode, Intent data){
if(requestCode == REQUEST_CODE) {
if (resultCode != RESULT_OK) return;
copyFile(fileToCopy, data.getData());
}
}
3) use the ContentResolver to open the outputStream and use it to copy the file
private void copyFile(File src, Uri destUri) {
BufferedInputStream bis = null;
BufferedOutputStream bos = null;
try {
bis = new BufferedInputStream(new FileInputStream(src));
bos = new BufferedOutputStream(getContentResolver().openOutputStream(destUri));
byte[] buf = new byte[1024];
bis.read(buf);
do {
bos.write(buf);
} while(bis.read(buf) != -1);
} catch (NullPointerException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
} catch (IOException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
} finally {
try {
if (bis != null) bis.close();
if (bos != null) bos.close();
} catch (IOException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
}

From https://source.android.com/devices/storage/
Starting in Android 4.4, ...
The WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission must only grant write access to
the primary external storage on a device. Apps must not be allowed to
write to secondary external storage devices, except in their
package-specific directories as allowed by synthesized permissions.
Restricting writes in this way ensures the system can clean up files
when applications are uninstalled.
So, starting from Android 4.4 in devices with multiple external storages you will be able to write only on the primary external storage. Take into account that External Storage does not mean only "real external" devices. It is defined as follows (from the External Storage reference)
External storage can be provided by physical media (such as an SD
card), or by exposing a portion of internal storage through an
emulation layer.
Anyway there is a workaround to write to secondary external storage using the media content provider. Take a look at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2634840
I have used it on a project of mine, but as the author says, it's far from the ideal solution, and it is not guaranteed to work on coming Android versions, so you must not let all your app to rely on this workaround.

Creating Folder in Internal memory

I am unable to get the methods for creating folder in Internal Memory,
i gone through few conversations in Android create folders in Internal Memory and Problem facing in reading file from Internal memory of android. But still i am unable to meet my requirement.
My requirement is , I want to create a folder in Internal Memory, there i want to Store one video.
Thankyou you very much in advance for valuable feedbacks.

try the below
File mydir = context.getDir("users", Context.MODE_PRIVATE); //Creating an internal dir;
if (!mydir.exists())
{
mydir.mkdirs();
}

Here is the code which I am using for creating files in internal memory :
File myDir = context.getFilesDir();
// Documents Path
String documents = "documents/data";
File documentsFolder = new File(myDir, documents);
documentsFolder.mkdirs(); // this line creates data folder at documents directory
String publicC = "documents/public/api." + server;
File publicFolder = new File(myDir, publicC);
publicFolder.mkdirs(); // and this line creates public/api.myservername folder in internal memory

To create directory on phone primary storage memory (generally internal memory) you should use following code. Please note that ExternalStorage in Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory() does not necessarily refers to sdcard, it returns phone primary storage memory
File mediaStorageDir = new File(Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory(), "MyDirName");
if (!mediaStorageDir.exists()) {
if (!mediaStorageDir.mkdirs()) {
Log.d("App", "failed to create directory");
return null;
}
}
Directory created using this code will be visible to phone user. The other method (as in accepted answer) creates directory in location (/data/data/package.name/app_MyDirName), hence normal phone user will not be able to access it easily and so you should not use it to store video/photo etc.
You will need permissions, in AndroidManifest.xml
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_INTERNAL_STORAGE" />

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
File direct = new File(Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory()+"/folder_name");
if(!direct.exists()) {
if(direct.mkdir()); //directory is created;
}

There is a "cacheDirectory" in your "data/package_name" directory.
If you want to store something in that cache memory,
File cacheDir = new File(this.getCacheDir(), "temp");
if (!cacheDir.exists())
cacheDir.mkdir();
where this is context.

try {
File cashDir = new File(dir.getCanonicalPath(),"folder");
if(!(cashDir.exists())) cashDir.mkdirs();
} catch (IOException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}