<!--
{
  "availability" : [
    "iOS: 16.0 -",
    "iPadOS: 16.0 -",
    "macCatalyst: 16.0 -",
    "macOS: 13.0 -",
    "tvOS: 16.0 -",
    "visionOS: 1.0 -",
    "watchOS: 9.0 -"
  ],
  "documentType" : "symbol",
  "framework" : "CoreTransferable",
  "identifier" : "/documentation/CoreTransferable",
  "metadataVersion" : "0.1.0",
  "role" : "Framework",
  "symbol" : {
    "kind" : "Framework",
    "modules" : [
      "Core Transferable"
    ],
    "preciseIdentifier" : "CoreTransferable"
  },
  "title" : "Core Transferable"
}
-->

# Core Transferable

Declare a transfer representation for your model types
to participate in system sharing and data transfer operations.

## Overview

Core Transferable provides a modern, Swift-focused approach to make your types
available in data transfer and sharing contexts.
Use transferable types for system interactions that move or share data,
like the Share button, drag and drop, and copy and paste.

Core Transferable defines a core protocol, [`Transferable`](/documentation/CoreTransferable/Transferable),
that you adopt in your app’s model types.
Provide a transfer representation by composing one or more of the framework’s
built-in [`TransferRepresentation`](/documentation/CoreTransferable/TransferRepresentation) types. Use `Transferable` types together with
system frameworks like SwiftUI — that include types such as
<doc://com.apple.documentation/documentation/SwiftUI/ShareLink> and
<doc://com.apple.documentation/documentation/SwiftUI/PasteButton> —
to share and paste transferable data.
SwiftUI also includes view modifiers like
<doc://com.apple.documentation/documentation/SwiftUI/View/draggable(_:)> and
<doc://com.apple.documentation/documentation/SwiftUI/View/dropDestination(for:action:isTargeted:)>
that support drag-and-drop interactions using `Transferable`.
System types like <doc://com.apple.documentation/documentation/Swift/String>,
<doc://com.apple.documentation/documentation/Foundation/Data>,
<doc://com.apple.documentation/documentation/Foundation/URL>, and
<doc://com.apple.documentation/documentation/SwiftUI/Image>
already conform to `Transferable`.

You can send or receive `Transferable` items within an app,
among a collection of your own apps,
or between your apps and other apps that share an understanding
of how to import or export a known data format.
The following shows an example model type, `Note`,
that’s extended to conform to `Transferable`:

```
struct Note: Codable {
    var text: String
    var url: URL

    init(url: URL) {
        self.url = url
        self.text = ""
    }
}

extension Note: Transferable {
    static var transferRepresentation: some TransferRepresentation {
        CodableRepresentation(contentType: .note)
        ProxyRepresentation(exporting: \.text)
        FileRepresentation(
            contentType: .utf8PlainText,
            exporting: { note in SentTransferredFile(note.url) },
            importing: { received in
                let destination = URL(fileURLWithPath: <# ... #>)
                try FileManager.default.copyItem(at: received.file, to: destination)
                return Self.init(url: destination) })
        }
}

extension UTType {
    static var note = UTType(exportedAs: "com.example.note")
}
```

Use Core Transferable along with the collection of common file and
data transfer identifiers from the
<doc://com.apple.documentation/documentation/UniformTypeIdentifiers> framework
to take advantage of system interactions that move and share data using
standard file types or your own custom-defined file types.

## Topics

### Essentials

[`Transferable`](/documentation/CoreTransferable/Transferable)

A protocol that describes how a type interacts with transport APIs
such as drag and drop or copy and paste.

[`TransferRepresentation`](/documentation/CoreTransferable/TransferRepresentation)

A declarative description of the process of importing and exporting a transferable item.

[Choosing a transfer representation for a model type](/documentation/CoreTransferable/choosing-a-transfer-representation-for-a-model-type)

Define a custom representation for your data using a combination of built-in types.

### Data transfer

[`CodableRepresentation`](/documentation/CoreTransferable/CodableRepresentation)

A transfer representation for types that participate in Swift’s protocols for encoding and decoding.

[`DataRepresentation`](/documentation/CoreTransferable/DataRepresentation)

A transfer representation for types that provide their own binary data conversion.

### File transfer

[`FileRepresentation`](/documentation/CoreTransferable/FileRepresentation)

A transfer representation for types that transfer as a file URL.

[`SentTransferredFile`](/documentation/CoreTransferable/SentTransferredFile)

A description of a file from the perspective of the sender.

[`ReceivedTransferredFile`](/documentation/CoreTransferable/ReceivedTransferredFile)

A description of a file from the perspective of the receiver.

### Transfer customization

[`ProxyRepresentation`](/documentation/CoreTransferable/ProxyRepresentation)

A transfer representation that uses another type’s transfer representation
as its own.

[`TransferRepresentationVisibility`](/documentation/CoreTransferable/TransferRepresentationVisibility)

The visibility levels that specify the kinds of apps and processes
that can see an item in transit.

### Supporting types

[`TransferRepresentationBuilder`](/documentation/CoreTransferable/TransferRepresentationBuilder)

Creates a transfer representation by composing existing transfer representations.

[`TupleTransferRepresentation`](/documentation/CoreTransferable/TupleTransferRepresentation)

A wrapper type for tuples that contain transfer representations.


---

Copyright &copy; 2026 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. | [Terms of Use](https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/terms/site.html) | [Privacy Policy](https://www.apple.com/privacy/privacy-policy)