---
title: "createDirectory(at:withIntermediateDirectories:attributes:)"
framework: foundation
role: symbol
role_heading: Instance Method
path: "foundation/filemanager/createdirectory(at:withintermediatedirectories:attributes:)"
---

# createDirectory(at:withIntermediateDirectories:attributes:)

Creates a directory with the given attributes at the specified URL.

## Declaration

```swift
func createDirectory(at url: URL, withIntermediateDirectories createIntermediates: Bool, attributes: [FileAttributeKey : Any]? = nil) throws
```

## Parameters

- `url`: A file URL that specifies the directory to create. If you want to specify a relative path, you must set the current working directory before creating the corresponding doc://com.apple.foundation/documentation/Foundation/NSURL object. This parameter must not be nil.
- `createIntermediates`: If doc://com.apple.documentation/documentation/Swift/true, this method creates any nonexistent parent directories as part of creating the directory in url. If doc://com.apple.documentation/documentation/Swift/false, this method fails if any of the intermediate parent directories does not exist.
- `attributes`: The file attributes for the new directory. You can set the owner and group numbers, file permissions, and modification date. If you specify nil for this parameter, the directory is created according to the umask(2) macOS Developer Tools Manual Page of the process. The Supporting Types section lists the global constants used as keys in the attributes dictionary. Some of the keys, such as doc://com.apple.foundation/documentation/Foundation/FileAttributeKey/hfsCreatorCode and doc://com.apple.foundation/documentation/Foundation/FileAttributeKey/hfsTypeCode, do not apply to directories.

## Discussion

Discussion If you specify nil for the attributes parameter, this method uses a default set of values for the owner, group, and permissions of any newly created directories in the path. Similarly, if you omit a specific attribute, the default value is used. The default values for newly created directories are as follows: Permissions are set according to the umask of the current process. For more information, see umask. The owner ID is set to the effective user ID of the process. The group ID is set to that of the parent directory. If you want to specify a relative path for url, you must set the current working directory before creating the corresponding NSURL object. note: In Swift, this method returns Void and is marked with the throws keyword to indicate that it throws an error in cases of failure. You call this method in a try expression and handle any errors in the catch clauses of a do statement, as described in Error Handling in The Swift Programming Language and About Imported Cocoa Error Parameters.

## See Also

### Related Documentation

- [setAttributes(_:ofItemAtPath:)](foundation/filemanager/setattributes(_:ofitematpath:).md)

### Creating and deleting items

- [createDirectory(atPath:withIntermediateDirectories:attributes:)](foundation/filemanager/createdirectory(atpath:withintermediatedirectories:attributes:).md)
- [createFile(atPath:contents:attributes:)](foundation/filemanager/createfile(atpath:contents:attributes:).md)
- [removeItem(at:)](foundation/filemanager/removeitem(at:).md)
- [removeItem(atPath:)](foundation/filemanager/removeitem(atpath:).md)
- [trashItem(at:resultingItemURL:)](foundation/filemanager/trashitem(at:resultingitemurl:).md)