what's the difference between folders and groups on Xcode 16?

Generated on 5/9/2025

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In Xcode 16, the difference between folders and groups is primarily about how they are represented and used within the Xcode project navigator.

Folders: These are actual directories on the file system. When you create a folder in Xcode, it corresponds to a real folder in your project's directory structure. This means that any files you add to a folder in Xcode will also appear in that folder on your disk.
Groups: These are virtual collections of files within Xcode. They do not correspond to actual directories on the file system. Instead, they are used to organize files within the Xcode project navigator for better readability and management. Files in a group can be located anywhere on the disk, and moving a file between groups in Xcode does not affect its location on the file system.

This distinction allows developers to organize their project files in a way that makes sense for their workflow without being constrained by the physical file system structure.

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