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Working with Files

FileAccess Quick Reference

Godot 4 uses FileAccess for reading and writing files. It works with res:// (project files) and user:// (user data) paths.

Mode	Use
`FileAccess.READ`	Open for reading
`FileAccess.WRITE`	Create or truncate and write
`FileAccess.READ_WRITE`	Open existing file for both

Reading a text file

var file = FileAccess.open("res://data/level_list.txt", FileAccess.READ)
if file:
    var text = file.get_as_text()
    file.close()

Writing text

var file = FileAccess.open("user://log.txt", FileAccess.WRITE)
if file:
    file.store_line("Game started")
    file.close()

Reading line by line

var file = FileAccess.open("user://save_data.txt", FileAccess.READ)
if file:
    while not file.eof_reached():
        var line = file.get_line()
        print(line)
    file.close()

Binary files

var file = FileAccess.open("user://snapshot.bin", FileAccess.WRITE)
file.store_32(12345)
file.store_float(1.5)
file.store_buffer(image_data)
file.close()

DirAccess: Traversing Directories

List files

var dir = DirAccess.open("res://data/items")
if dir:
    dir.list_dir_begin()
    var file_name = dir.get_next()
    while file_name != "":
        if not dir.current_is_dir():
            print(file_name)
        file_name = dir.get_next()
    dir.list_dir_end()

Iterate a folder of `.tres` files

var dir = DirAccess.open("res://data/weapons")
if dir:
    dir.list_dir_begin()
    var file_name = dir.get_next()

    while file_name != "":
        if file_name.ends_with(".tres"):
            var path = "res://data/weapons/" + file_name
            var weapon = load(path) as WeaponData
            if weapon:
                print(weapon.weapon_name)
        file_name = dir.get_next()

    dir.list_dir_end()

Create directories

DirAccess.make_dir_recursive_absolute("user://saves/backup")

Preloading Assets

Use preload() for known paths at compile time. It is faster and safer than load().

const BULLET_SCENE = preload("res://scenes/bullet.tscn")
const COIN_TEXTURE = preload("res://sprites/coin.png")

func spawn_bullet():
    var bullet = BULLET_SCENE.instantiate()
    add_child(bullet)

preload() only works with string literal paths inside res://.

Common FileAccess Methods

Method	Description
`FileAccess.file_exists(path)`	Check if a file exists
`file.get_as_text()`	Read whole file as a `String`
`file.get_line()`	Read one line
`file.get_csv_line()`	Read one CSV row
`file.store_line(text)`	Write a line with a newline
`file.store_string(text)`	Write text without a newline
`file.get_position()` / `file.get_length()`	Track read progress
`file.seek(position)`	Jump to a byte offset
`file.close()`	Close the file

Tips and Pitfalls

# Always check FileAccess.open returned a valid object
var file = FileAccess.open("user://save.json", FileAccess.READ)
if not file:
    return

# Always close when done
file.close()

# Use user:// for anything written at runtime
# res:// is read-only in exported games

Quick Summary:

FileAccess is the main class for file read/write.
DirAccess lists, creates, and copies directories.
preload("res://...") is for compile-time known assets.
Use user:// for saved data and res:// for shipped assets.