The main difference is that instead of taking a string path, as PathIO does, it takes a StorageFile. This class is very similar to the PathIO class. This class can also read/write an array of bytes, or the contents of a buffer. The FileIO class provides an easy way to read and write text.

Use StorageFile.GetFileFromPathAsync() to convert a string path to a StorageFile. There are some Windows Runtime APIs that take a string path, but more often you will use a StorageFile to represent a file because some files you work with in UWP may not have a path, or may have an unwieldy path. You may be used to dealing with string paths. This class has properties that provide information about the file, and methods for creating, opening, copying, deleting, and renaming files. Here are the main types you need to know about to read or write text from/to a file: We’ll look at code to write and read text from a file and how to access the app's local, roaming, and temporary folders.

You may also be interested in the File access sample which shows how to create, read, write, copy and delete a file, as well as how to retrieve file properties and remember a file or folder so that your app can easily access it again. If you want a tutorial, see Create, write, and read a file which, in addition to demonstrating how to create, read, and write a file, shows how to use buffers and streams.

The main APIs and types are introduced, and links are provided to help you learn more. This topic covers what you need to know to get started reading from, and writing to, files in a Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app.

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