---
id: appdirs
version: "1.4.4"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: abandoned
---

# appdirs — A small Python module for determining appropriate platform-specific dirs, e.g. a "user data dir".

License: permissive · Maintenance: abandoned · Popularity: top 1,000 on PyPI

## Install

pip install appdirs
uv add appdirs
poetry add appdirs

## Description

.. image:: https://secure.travis-ci.org/ActiveState/appdirs.png
    :target: http://travis-ci.org/ActiveState/appdirs

the problem
===========

What directory should your app use for storing user data? If running on Mac OS X, you
should use::

    ~/Library/Application Support/<AppName>

If on Windows (at least English Win XP) that should be::

    C:\Documents and Settings\<User>\Application Data\Local Settings\<AppAuthor>\<AppName>

or possibly::

    C:\Documents and Settings\<User>\Application Data\<AppAuthor>\<AppName>

for `roaming profiles <http://bit.ly/9yl3b6>`_ but that is another story.

On Linux (and other Unices) the dir, according to the `XDG
spec <http://standards.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-latest.html>`_, is::

    ~/.local/share/<AppName>


``appdirs`` to the rescue
=========================

This kind of thing is what the ``appdirs`` module is for. ``appdirs`` will
help you choose an appropriate:

- user data dir (``user_data_dir``)
- user config dir (``user_config_dir``)
- user cache dir (``user_cache_dir``)
- site data dir (``site_data_dir``)
- site config dir (``site_config_dir``)
- user log dir (``user_log_dir``)

and also:

- is a single...

## AI interpretation — verify before relying

appdirs determines the appropriate platform-specific directories for storing application data, configuration, cache, and logs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, following OS conventions and standards like XDG.

Verdict: appdirs is a stable, production-ready utility with zero dependencies and no known vulnerabilities, but it is abandoned—no updates since 2020. It remains suitable for straightforward cross-platform directory resolution, though you should monitor for any future Python compatibility issues and consider alternatives if active maintenance becomes critical for your project.

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/appdirs) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/appdirs/)