How to programmatically move, copy and delete files and directories on SD?

I want to programmatically move, copy and delete files and directories on SD card. I've done a Google search but couldn't find anything useful.

set the correct permissions in the manifest

     <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />

below is a function that will programmatically move your file

private void moveFile(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();
        in = null;
        
            // write the output file
            out.flush();
        out.close();
        out = null;

        // delete the original file
        new File(inputPath + inputFile).delete();  

        
    } 

         catch (FileNotFoundException fnfe1) {
        Log.e("tag", fnfe1.getMessage());
    }
          catch (Exception e) {
        Log.e("tag", e.getMessage());
    }

}

To Delete the file use

private void deleteFile(String inputPath, String inputFile) {
    try {
        // delete the original file
        new File(inputPath + inputFile).delete();  
    }
    catch (Exception e) {
        Log.e("tag", e.getMessage());
    }
}
        

To copy

private 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();
        in = null;
        
            // write the output file (You have now copied the file)
            out.flush();
        out.close();
        out = null;	       
        
    }  catch (FileNotFoundException fnfe1) {
        Log.e("tag", fnfe1.getMessage());
    }
            catch (Exception e) {
        Log.e("tag", e.getMessage());
    }

}

Move file:

File from = new File(Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory().getAbsolutePath()+"/kaic1/imagem.jpg");
File to = new File(Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory().getAbsolutePath()+"/kaic2/imagem.jpg");
from.renameTo(to);

Function for moving files:

private void moveFile(File file, File dir) throws IOException {
    File newFile = new File(dir, file.getName());
    FileChannel outputChannel = null;
    FileChannel inputChannel = null;
    try {
        outputChannel = new FileOutputStream(newFile).getChannel();
        inputChannel = new FileInputStream(file).getChannel();
        inputChannel.transferTo(0, inputChannel.size(), outputChannel);
        inputChannel.close();
        file.delete();
    } finally {
        if (inputChannel != null) inputChannel.close();
        if (outputChannel != null) outputChannel.close();
    }

}

Use standard Java I/O. Use Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory() to get to the root of external storage (which, on some devices, is an SD card).

Delete

public static void deleteRecursive(File fileOrDirectory) {

 if (fileOrDirectory.isDirectory())
    for (File child : fileOrDirectory.listFiles())
        deleteRecursive(child);

    fileOrDirectory.delete();

    }

check this link for above function.

Copy

public static void copyDirectoryOneLocationToAnotherLocation(File sourceLocation, File targetLocation)
    throws IOException {

if (sourceLocation.isDirectory()) {
    if (!targetLocation.exists()) {
        targetLocation.mkdir();
    }

    String[] children = sourceLocation.list();
    for (int i = 0; i < sourceLocation.listFiles().length; i++) {

        copyDirectoryOneLocationToAnotherLocation(new File(sourceLocation, children[i]),
                new File(targetLocation, children[i]));
    }
} else {

    InputStream in = new FileInputStream(sourceLocation);

    OutputStream out = new FileOutputStream(targetLocation);

    // Copy the bits from instream to outstream
    byte[] buf = new byte[1024];
    int len;
    while ((len = in.read(buf)) > 0) {
        out.write(buf, 0, len);
    }
    in.close();
    out.close();
}

}

Move

move is nothing just copy the folder one location to another then delete the folder thats it

manifest

     <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />

1. Permissions:

    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
   

2. Get SD card root folder:

    Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory()
   

3. Delete file: this is an example on how to delete all empty folders in a root folder:

    public static void deleteEmptyFolder(File rootFolder){
    	if (!rootFolder.isDirectory()) return;
   
    	File[] childFiles = rootFolder.listFiles();
    	if (childFiles==null) return;
    	if (childFiles.length == 0){
    		rootFolder.delete();
    	} else {
    		for (File childFile : childFiles){
    			deleteEmptyFolder(childFile);
    		}
    	}
    }
   

4. Copy file:

    public static void copyFile(File src, File dst) throws IOException {
    	FileInputStream var2 = new FileInputStream(src);
    	FileOutputStream var3 = new FileOutputStream(dst);
    	byte[] var4 = new byte[1024];
   
    	int var5;
    	while((var5 = var2.read(var4)) > 0) {
    		var3.write(var4, 0, var5);
    	}
   
    	var2.close();
    	var3.close();
    }
   

5. Move file = copy + delete source file

File from = new File(Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory().getAbsolutePath().getAbsolutePath()+"/kaic1/imagem.jpg");
File to = new File(Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory().getAbsolutePath()+"/kaic2/imagem.jpg");
from.renameTo(to);

Copy file using Square's Okio:

BufferedSink bufferedSink = Okio.buffer(Okio.sink(destinationFile));
bufferedSink.writeAll(Okio.source(sourceFile));
bufferedSink.close();

In Kotlin you can use copyTo() extension function,

sourceFile.copyTo(destFile, true)

If you are using Guava, you can use Files.move(from, to)

/**
     * Copy the local DB file of an application to the root of external storage directory
     * @param context the Context of application
     * @param dbName The name of the DB
     */
    private void copyDbToExternalStorage(Context context , String dbName){

        try {
            File name = context.getDatabasePath(dbName);
            File sdcardFile = new File(Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory() , "test.db");//The name of output file
            sdcardFile.createNewFile();
            InputStream inputStream = null;
            OutputStream outputStream = null;
            inputStream = new FileInputStream(name);
            outputStream = new FileOutputStream(sdcardFile);
            byte[] buffer = new byte[1024];
            int read;
            while ((read = inputStream.read(buffer)) != -1) {
                outputStream.write(buffer, 0, read);
            }
            inputStream.close();
            outputStream.flush();
            outputStream.close();
        }
        catch (Exception e) {
            Log.e("Exception" , e.toString());
        }
    }

Moving file using kotlin. App has to have permission to write a file in destination directory.

@Throws(FileNotFoundException::class, IOError::class)
private fun moveTo(source: File, dest: File, destDirectory: File? = null) {

    if (destDirectory?.exists() == false) {
        destDirectory.mkdir()
    }

    val fis = FileInputStream(source)
    val bufferLength = 1024
    val buffer = ByteArray(bufferLength)
    val fos = FileOutputStream(dest)
    val bos = BufferedOutputStream(fos, bufferLength)
    var read = fis.read(buffer, 0, read)
    while (read != -1) {
        bos.write(buffer, 0, read)
        read = fis.read(buffer) // if read value is -1, it escapes loop.
    }
    fis.close()
    bos.flush()
    bos.close()

    if (!source.delete()) {
        HLog.w(TAG, klass, "failed to delete ${source.name}")
    }
}

Xamarin Android

public static bool MoveFile(string CurrentFilePath, string NewFilePath)
{
    try
    {
        using (var f = new File(CurrentFilePath))
        using (var i = new FileInputStream(f))
        using (var o = new FileOutputStream(NewFilePath))
        {
            i.Channel.TransferTo(0, i.Channel.Size(), o.Channel);
            f.Delete();
        }

        return true;
    }
    catch { return false; }
}

public static bool CopyFile(string CurrentFilePath, string NewFilePath)
{
    try
    {
        using (var i = new FileInputStream(CurrentFilePath))
        using (var o = new FileOutputStream(NewFilePath))
            i.Channel.TransferTo(0, i.Channel.Size(), o.Channel);

        return true;
    }
    catch { return false; }
}

public static bool DeleteFile(string FilePath)
{
    try
    {
        using (var file = new File(FilePath))
            file.Delete();

        return true;
    }
    catch { return false; }
}

To move a file this api can be used but you need atleat 26 as api level -

move file

But if you want to move directory no support is there so this native code can be used

    import org.apache.commons.io.FileUtils;

    import java.io.IOException;
    import java.io.File;

    public class FileModule {

    public void moveDirectory(String src, String des) {
    File srcDir = new File(src);
    File destDir = new File(des);
     try {
        FileUtils.moveDirectory(srcDir,destDir);
    } catch (Exception e) {
      Log.e("Exception" , e.toString());
      }
    }

    public void deleteDirectory(String dir) {
      File delDir = new File(dir);
      try {
        FileUtils.deleteDirectory(delDir);
       } catch (IOException e) {
      Log.e("Exception" , e.toString());
      }
     }
    }

Move File or Folder:

public static void moveFile(File srcFileOrDirectory, File desFileOrDirectory) throws IOException {
    File newFile = new File(desFileOrDirectory, srcFileOrDirectory.getName());
    try (FileChannel outputChannel = new FileOutputStream(newFile).getChannel(); FileChannel inputChannel = new FileInputStream(srcFileOrDirectory).getChannel()) {
        inputChannel.transferTo(0, inputChannel.size(), outputChannel);
        inputChannel.close();
        deleteRecursive(srcFileOrDirectory);
    }
}

private static void deleteRecursive(File fileOrDirectory) {
    if (fileOrDirectory.isDirectory())
        for (File child : Objects.requireNonNull(fileOrDirectory.listFiles()))
            deleteRecursive(child);
    fileOrDirectory.delete();
}

You can use this folder with file path & destination path

public void copyFile(String sourcePath, String destinationPath) throws IOException {
    FileInputStream inStream = new FileInputStream(sourcePath);
    FileOutputStream outStream = new FileOutputStream(destinationPath);
    FileChannel inChannel = inStream.getChannel();
    FileChannel outChannel = outStream.getChannel();
    inChannel.transferTo(0, inChannel.size(), outChannel);
    inStream.close();
    outStream.close();
}