How do you create a temporary file in C#?

Question

ICSM Computer · Answer

In C#, you can create a temporary file using built-in methods from the
System.IO namespace. These are useful for storing data temporarily without worrying about naming or cleanup manually.
Option 1: Path.GetTempFileName() (creates an actual empty file)
using System;
using System.IO;
class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        string tempFilePath = Path.GetTempFileName(); // e.g., C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Temp	mp123.tmp
        Console.WriteLine("Temporary file created at: " + tempFilePath);
        // You can write to the file
        File.WriteAllText(tempFilePath, "Temporary data");
        // Optionally delete it after use
        File.Delete(tempFilePath);
    }
}
Option 2: Path.GetTempPath() + GUID for custom temp file name (file not created automatically)
string tempPath = Path.Combine(Path.GetTempPath(), Guid.NewGuid().ToString() + ".tmp");
File.WriteAllText(tempPath, "Your temp content here");
This lets you avoid the 65K file limit of GetTempFileName().
Option 3: File.CreateTempFile() (in .NET 8+)
If you're using .NET 8 or newer:
string path = Path.GetTempFileName(); // or File.CreateTempFile(); in .NET 8
Where is the temp directory?
Path.GetTempPath() returns the system's temp folder:Windows: C:\Users\andlt;Userandgt;\AppData\Local\TempLinux/macOS: /tmp
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How do you create a temporary file in C#?

ICSM Computer

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1 Answers

Option 1: `Path.GetTempFileName()` (creates an actual empty file)

Option 2: `Path.GetTempPath()` + GUID for custom temp file name (file not created automatically)

Option 3: `File.CreateTempFile()` (in .NET 8+)

Where is the temp directory?

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