---
id: platformdirs
version: "4.11.2"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# platformdirs — A small Python package for determining appropriate platform-specific dirs, e.g. a `user data dir`.

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Popularity: top 100 on PyPI

## Install

pip install platformdirs
uv add platformdirs
poetry add platformdirs

## Description

# platformdirs

[![PyPI version](https://badge.fury.io/py/platformdirs.svg)](https://badge.fury.io/py/platformdirs)
[![Python versions](https://img.shields.io/pypi/pyversions/platformdirs.svg)](https://pypi.python.org/pypi/platformdirs/)
[![CI](https://github.com/tox-dev/platformdirs/actions/workflows/check.yaml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/platformdirs/platformdirs/actions)
[![Downloads](https://static.pepy.tech/badge/platformdirs/month)](https://pepy.tech/project/platformdirs)

A Python package for determining platform-specific directories (e.g. user data, config, cache, logs). Handles the
differences between macOS, Windows, Linux/Unix, and Android so you don't have to.

## Quick start

```python
from platformdirs import PlatformDirs

dirs = PlatformDirs("MyApp", "MyCompany")
dirs.user_data_dir  # ~/.local/share/MyApp (Linux)
dirs.user_config_dir  # ~/.config/MyApp (Linux)
dirs.user_cache_dir  # ~/.cache/MyApp (Linux)
dirs.user_state_dir  # ~/.local/state/MyApp (Linux)
dirs.user_log_dir  # ~/.local/state/MyApp/log (Linux)
dirs.user_documents_dir  # ~/Documents
dirs.user_downloads_dir  # ~/Downloads
dirs.user_runtime_dir  # /run/user/<uid>/MyApp (Linux)
```

For Path objects...

## AI interpretation — verify before relying

Determines platform-specific directories for application data, config, cache, logs, and user media folders across macOS, Windows, Linux, and Android.

Verdict: A lightweight, actively maintained utility for cross-platform directory resolution with zero dependencies, MIT licensing, and top-100 PyPI popularity. Suitable for any application needing portable paths to user data, config, cache, or system directories.

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