Convert content:// URI to actual path in Android 4.4

I tried a solution (see below) that works fine, except in Android 4.4 the call to startActivityForResult() brings up an activity titled "Open from", which has "Recent", "Images", "Downloads" as well as several apps to pick from. When I choose "Images" and try to resolve the returned content URI (using the code below), the call to cursor.getString() returns null. If I choose the exact same file using the Gallery app, cursor.getString() returns a file path. I've only tested this in API levels 16 and 19. Everything works as expected in 16. As far as 19 goes, I have to choose the Gallery or other app or it doesn't work.

private String getRealPathFromURI(Context context, Uri contentUri) {
    Cursor cursor = null;
    try { 
        String[] proj = { MediaStore.Images.Media.DATA };
        cursor = context.getContentResolver().query(contentUri,  proj, null, null, null);
        int column_index = cursor.getColumnIndexOrThrow(MediaStore.Images.Media.DATA);
        cursor.moveToFirst();
        String path = cursor.getString(column_index);
        
        return path;
    } finally {
        if (cursor != null) {
            cursor.close();
        }
    }
}

This will get the file path from the MediaProvider, DownloadsProvider, and ExternalStorageProvider, while falling back to the unofficial ContentProvider method you mention.

   /**
 * Get a file path from a Uri. This will get the the path for Storage Access
 * Framework Documents, as well as the _data field for the MediaStore and
 * other file-based ContentProviders.
 *
 * @param context The context.
 * @param uri The Uri to query.
 * @author paulburke
 */
public static String getPath(final Context context, final Uri uri) {

    final boolean isKitKat = Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.KITKAT;

    // DocumentProvider
    if (isKitKat && DocumentsContract.isDocumentUri(context, uri)) {
        // ExternalStorageProvider
        if (isExternalStorageDocument(uri)) {
            final String docId = DocumentsContract.getDocumentId(uri);
            final String[] split = docId.split(":");
            final String type = split[0];

            if ("primary".equalsIgnoreCase(type)) {
                return Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory() + "/" + split[1];
            }

            // TODO handle non-primary volumes
        }
        // DownloadsProvider
        else if (isDownloadsDocument(uri)) {

            final String id = DocumentsContract.getDocumentId(uri);
            final Uri contentUri = ContentUris.withAppendedId(
                    Uri.parse("content://downloads/public_downloads"), Long.valueOf(id));

            return getDataColumn(context, contentUri, null, null);
        }
        // MediaProvider
        else if (isMediaDocument(uri)) {
            final String docId = DocumentsContract.getDocumentId(uri);
            final String[] split = docId.split(":");
            final String type = split[0];

            Uri contentUri = null;
            if ("image".equals(type)) {
                contentUri = MediaStore.Images.Media.EXTERNAL_CONTENT_URI;
            } else if ("video".equals(type)) {
                contentUri = MediaStore.Video.Media.EXTERNAL_CONTENT_URI;
            } else if ("audio".equals(type)) {
                contentUri = MediaStore.Audio.Media.EXTERNAL_CONTENT_URI;
            }

            final String selection = "_id=?";
            final String[] selectionArgs = new String[] {
                    split[1]
            };

            return getDataColumn(context, contentUri, selection, selectionArgs);
        }
    }
    // MediaStore (and general)
    else if ("content".equalsIgnoreCase(uri.getScheme())) {
        return getDataColumn(context, uri, null, null);
    }
    // File
    else if ("file".equalsIgnoreCase(uri.getScheme())) {
        return uri.getPath();
    }

    return null;
}

/**
 * Get the value of the data column for this Uri. This is useful for
 * MediaStore Uris, and other file-based ContentProviders.
 *
 * @param context The context.
 * @param uri The Uri to query.
 * @param selection (Optional) Filter used in the query.
 * @param selectionArgs (Optional) Selection arguments used in the query.
 * @return The value of the _data column, which is typically a file path.
 */
public static String getDataColumn(Context context, Uri uri, String selection,
        String[] selectionArgs) {

    Cursor cursor = null;
    final String column = "_data";
    final String[] projection = {
            column
    };

    try {
        cursor = context.getContentResolver().query(uri, projection, selection, selectionArgs,
                null);
        if (cursor != null && cursor.moveToFirst()) {
            final int column_index = cursor.getColumnIndexOrThrow(column);
            return cursor.getString(column_index);
        }
    } finally {
        if (cursor != null)
            cursor.close();
    }
    return null;
}


/**
 * @param uri The Uri to check.
 * @return Whether the Uri authority is ExternalStorageProvider.
 */
public static boolean isExternalStorageDocument(Uri uri) {
    return "com.android.externalstorage.documents".equals(uri.getAuthority());
}

/**
 * @param uri The Uri to check.
 * @return Whether the Uri authority is DownloadsProvider.
 */
public static boolean isDownloadsDocument(Uri uri) {
    return "com.android.providers.downloads.documents".equals(uri.getAuthority());
}

/**
 * @param uri The Uri to check.
 * @return Whether the Uri authority is MediaProvider.
 */
public static boolean isMediaDocument(Uri uri) {
    return "com.android.providers.media.documents".equals(uri.getAuthority());
}

source aFileChooser

> Convert content:// URI to actual path in Android 4.4

There is no reliable way to do this on any Android version. A content:// Uri does not have to represent a file on the filesystem, let alone one that you are able to access.

Android 4.4's changes to offer the storage framework simply increases the frequency with which you will encounter content:// Uri values.

If you get a content:// Uri, please consume it using a ContentResolver and methods like openInputStream() and openOutputStream().

I have been facing this problem too, but in my case, what I wanted to do was to specify a concrete Uri to the Gallery so I can use crop later. Looks like in the new Document Browser of KitKat we can't do that anymore unless you choose galery in the navigation drawer, and, like you said, open the image or file directly from there.

In the Uri case, you can still retrieve the path when opening fromt he Document Browser.

	Intent dataIntent= new Intent(Intent.ACTION_GET_CONTENT);
	dataIntent.setType("image/*"); //Or whatever type you need

And then in onActivityResult:

@Override
public void onActivityResult(int requestCode, int resultCode, Intent data) {
	super.onActivityResult(requestCode, resultCode, data);
	if (requestCode == ACTIVITY_SELECT_IMAGE && resultCode == RESULT_OK) {
		myUri = data.getData();
        String path = myUri.getPath();
        openPath(myUri);

	}
}

If you need then to open a file with that path, you just have yo use a Content Resolver:

public void openPath(Uri uri){
	InputStream is = null;
	try {
		is = getContentResolver().openInputStream(uri);
		//Convert your stream to data here
		is.close();

	} catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
		e.printStackTrace();
	} catch (IOException e) {
		// TODO Auto-generated catch block
		e.printStackTrace();
	}
}

It is introduced in a Google API. You can try this:

private Bitmap getBitmapFromUri(Uri uri) throws IOException {
    ParcelFileDescriptor parcelFileDescriptor =
            getContentResolver().openFileDescriptor(uri, "r");
    FileDescriptor fileDescriptor = parcelFileDescriptor.getFileDescriptor();
    Bitmap image = BitmapFactory.decodeFileDescriptor(fileDescriptor);
    parcelFileDescriptor.close();
    return image;
}

If you really need a file path. First, get the data using ContentResolver. Then, you can save the data to a temp file and use that path.

(I had to use a library with File object in a function parameter.)

Thanks to @FireBear, I modified answer now one will get path of media file

String filePath=saveBitmap(activity,getBitmapFromUri(imageUri),"tmpFile").getPath();

private Bitmap getBitmapFromUri(Context context, Uri uri) throws IOException {
        ParcelFileDescriptor parcelFileDescriptor =
                context.getContentResolver().openFileDescriptor(uri, "r");
        FileDescriptor fileDescriptor = parcelFileDescriptor.getFileDescriptor();
        Bitmap image = BitmapFactory.decodeFileDescriptor(fileDescriptor);
        parcelFileDescriptor.close();
        return image;
    }

    private File saveBitmap(Context context, Bitmap bitmap, String name) {
        File filesDir = context.getFilesDir();
        File imageFile = new File(filesDir, name + ".jpg");
        OutputStream os;
        try {
            os = new FileOutputStream(imageFile);
            bitmap.compress(Bitmap.CompressFormat.JPEG, 100, os);
            os.flush();
            os.close();
        } catch (Exception e) {
            //Log.e(getClass().getSimpleName(), "Error writing bitmap", e);
        }
        return imageFile;
    }

I know it does not answer the question itself, but as @CommonsWare sad, SAF was not meant to use this way.

Maybe an option for this is creating a copy of the file on the app's external files dir, use it and then delete it.

public File createFileCopy(Context context, DocumentFile file) {

        if (file == null || !file.exists() || file.getName() == null) {
            throw new IllegalArgumentException("The file must no be null, and must exist, and must have a name.");
        }

        File fileCopy = new File(context.getExternalFilesDir(null).getAbsolutePath(), file.getName());

        try {

            android.os.FileUtils.copy(openFileInputStream(file), new FileOutputStream(fileCopy));

            return fileCopy;

        } catch (Exception e) {
          // do whateveer you want with this exceeption
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
        return null;
    }

Get a file path from a Uri:- I had created a Util class that will get the path for Storage Access Framework Documents, as well as the _data field for the MediaStore and other file-based ContentProviders.

ConvertUriToFilePath :-

import android.content.ContentUris;
import android.content.Context;
import android.database.Cursor;
import android.net.Uri;
import android.os.Build;
import android.os.Environment;
import android.provider.DocumentsContract;
import android.provider.MediaStore;
import android.support.annotation.RequiresApi;

public class ConvertUriToFilePath {
    /**
     * Get a file path from a Uri. This will get the the path for Storage Access
     * Framework Documents, as well as the _data field for the MediaStore and
     * other file-based ContentProviders.
     *
     * @param context The context.
     * @param uri     The Uri to query.
     */
    @RequiresApi(api = Build.VERSION_CODES.KITKAT)
    public static String getPathFromURI(final Context context, final Uri uri) {

        final boolean isKitKat = Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.KITKAT;
    // DocumentProvider
    if (isKitKat && DocumentsContract.isDocumentUri(context, uri)) {
        // ExternalStorageProvider
        if (isExternalStorageDocument(uri)) {
            final String docId = DocumentsContract.getDocumentId(uri);
            final String[] split = docId.split(":");
            final String type = split[0];

            if ("primary".equalsIgnoreCase(type)) {
                return Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory() + "/" + split[1];
            }

            // TODO handle non-primary volumes
        }
        // DownloadsProvider
        else if (isDownloadsDocument(uri)) {

            final String id = DocumentsContract.getDocumentId(uri);
            final Uri contentUri = ContentUris.withAppendedId(
                    Uri.parse("content://downloads/public_downloads"), Long.valueOf(id));

            return getDataColumn(context, contentUri, null, null);
        }
        // MediaProvider
        else if (isMediaDocument(uri)) {
            final String docId = DocumentsContract.getDocumentId(uri);
            final String[] split = docId.split(":");
            final String type = split[0];

            Uri contentUri = null;
            if ("image".equals(type)) {
                contentUri = MediaStore.Images.Media.EXTERNAL_CONTENT_URI;
            } else if ("video".equals(type)) {
                contentUri = MediaStore.Video.Media.EXTERNAL_CONTENT_URI;
            } else if ("audio".equals(type)) {
                contentUri = MediaStore.Audio.Media.EXTERNAL_CONTENT_URI;
            }

            final String selection = "_id=?";
            final String[] selectionArgs = new String[]{
                    split[1]
            };

            return getDataColumn(context, contentUri, selection, selectionArgs);
        }
    }
    // MediaStore (and general)
    else if ("content".equalsIgnoreCase(uri.getScheme())) {

        final String docId = DocumentsContract.getDocumentId(uri);
        final String[] split = docId.split(":");
        final String type = split[0];

        Uri contentUri = null;
        if ("image".equals(type)) {
            contentUri = MediaStore.Images.Media.EXTERNAL_CONTENT_URI;
        } else if ("video".equals(type)) {
            contentUri = MediaStore.Video.Media.EXTERNAL_CONTENT_URI;
        } else if ("audio".equals(type)) {
            contentUri = MediaStore.Audio.Media.EXTERNAL_CONTENT_URI;
        }

        final String selection = "_id=?";
        final String[] selectionArgs = new String[]{
                split[1]
        };

        return getDataColumn(context, contentUri, selection, selectionArgs);


        //  return getDataColumn(context, uri, null, null);
    }
    // File
    else if ("file".equalsIgnoreCase(uri.getScheme())) {
        return uri.getPath();
    }

    return null;
}

/**
 * Get the value of the data column for this Uri. This is useful for
 * MediaStore Uris, and other file-based ContentProviders.
 *
 * @param context       The context.
 * @param uri           The Uri to query.
 * @param selection     (Optional) Filter used in the query.
 * @param selectionArgs (Optional) Selection arguments used in the query.
 * @return The value of the _data column, which is typically a file path.
 */
public static String getDataColumn(Context context, Uri uri, String selection,
                                   String[] selectionArgs) {
    Cursor cursor = null;
    final String column = "_data";
    final String[] projection = {
            column
    };
    try {
        cursor = context.getContentResolver().query(uri, projection, selection, selectionArgs,
                null);
        if (cursor != null && cursor.moveToFirst()) {
            final int column_index = cursor.getColumnIndexOrThrow(column);
            return cursor.getString(column_index);
        }
    } finally {
        if (cursor != null)
            cursor.close();
    }
    return null;
}


/**
 * @param uri The Uri to check.
 * @return Whether the Uri authority is ExternalStorageProvider.
 */
public static boolean isExternalStorageDocument(Uri uri) {
    return "com.android.externalstorage.documents".equals(uri.getAuthority());
}

/**
 * @param uri The Uri to check.
 * @return Whether the Uri authority is DownloadsProvider.
 */
public static boolean isDownloadsDocument(Uri uri) {
    return "com.android.providers.downloads.documents".equals(uri.getAuthority());
}

/**
 * @param uri The Uri to check.
 * @return Whether the Uri authority is MediaProvider.
 */
public static boolean isMediaDocument(Uri uri) {
    return "com.android.providers.media.documents".equals(uri.getAuthority());
}

}

Example Code :

// Just call this function of ConvertUriToFilePath class and it will return full path of file URI.

 String actualFilepath= ConvertUriToFilePath.getPathFromURI(activity,tempUri);