# std::filesystem::resize_file

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< cpp‎ | filesystem

Defined in header `<filesystem>` |  |
void resize_file(const std::filesystem::path& p, std::uintmax_t new_size); void resize_file(const std::filesystem::path& p, std::uintmax_t new_size, std::error_code& ec) noexcept; |  | (since C++17)

Changes the size of the regular file named by `p` as if by POSIX truncate: if the file size was previously larger than `new_size`, the remainder of the file is discarded. If the file was previously smaller than `new_size`, the file size is increased and the new area appears as if zero-filled.

### Parameters

p | - | path to resize
new_size | - | size that the file will now have
ec | - | out-parameter for error reporting in the non-throwing overload

### Return value

(none)

### Exceptions

The overload that does not take a std::error_code& parameter throws `filesystem_error` on underlying OS API errors, constructed with `p` as the first path argument and the OS error code as the error code argument. The overload taking a std::error_code& parameter sets it to the OS API error code if an OS API call fails, and executes ec.clear() if no errors occur. Any overload not marked `noexcept` may throw std::bad_alloc if memory allocation fails.

### Notes

On systems that support sparse files, increasing the file size does not increase the space it occupies on the file system: space allocation takes place only when non-zero bytes are written to the file.

### Example

demonstrates the effect of creating a sparse file on the free space

Run this code

    #include <iostream>
    #include <iomanip>
    #include <fstream>
    #include <filesystem>
    namespace fs = std::filesystem;
    int main()
    {
        fs::path p = fs::current_path() / "example.bin";
        std::ofstream(p).put('a');
        std::cout << "File size: " << std::setw(10) << fs::file_size(p)
                  << " Free space: " << fs::space(p).free << '\n';
        fs::resize_file(p, 1024*1024*1024); // resize to 1 G
        std::cout << "File size: " << fs::file_size(p)
                  << " Free space: " << fs::space(p).free << '\n';
        fs::remove(p);
    }

Possible output:

    File size:          1 Free space: 3724541952
    File size: 1073741824 Free space: 3724476416

### See also

file_size (C++17) | returns the size of a file (function)
space (C++17) | determines available free space on the file system (function)

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