---
name: "telldir"
section: "3"
platform: "linux"
package: "man-pages"
version: "6.19-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux", "freebsd"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/telldir"
---

# telldir(3)

return current location in directory stream

## NAME

telldir - return current location in directory stream

## LIBRARY

Standard C library (*libc*, *-lc*)

## SYNOPSIS

```
#include <dirent.h>
```

**long telldir(DIR \****dirp***);**

Feature Test Macro Requirements for glibc (see [**feature\_test\_macros**(7)](/feature_test_macros/7.md)):

**telldir**():

```
    _XOPEN_SOURCE
       || /* glibc >= 2.19: */ _DEFAULT_SOURCE
       || /* glibc <= 2.19: */ _BSD_SOURCE || _SVID_SOURCE
```

## DESCRIPTION

The **telldir**() function returns the current location associated with the directory stream *dirp*.

## RETURN VALUE

On success, the **telldir**() function returns the current location in the directory stream. On error, -1 is returned, and *errno* is set to indicate the error.

## ERRORS

- **EBADF**

  Invalid directory stream descriptor *dirp*.

## ATTRIBUTES

For an explanation of the terms used in this section, see [**attributes**(7)](/attributes/7.md).

| | | |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Interface** | **Attribute** | **Value** |
| **telldir**() | Thread safety | MT-Safe |

## STANDARDS

POSIX.1-2008.

## HISTORY

POSIX.1-2001, 4.3BSD.

Up to glibc 2.1.1, the return type of **telldir**() was *off\_t*. POSIX.1-2001 specifies *long*, and this is the type used since glibc 2.1.2.

In early filesystems, the value returned by **telldir**() was a simple file offset within a directory. Modern filesystems use tree or hash structures, rather than flat tables, to represent directories. On such filesystems, the value returned by **telldir**() (and used internally by [**readdir**(3)](/readdir/3.md)) is a "cookie" that is used by the implementation to derive a position within a directory. Application programs should treat this strictly as an opaque value, making *no* assumptions about its contents.

## SEE ALSO

[**closedir**(3)](/closedir/3.md), [**opendir**(3)](/opendir/3.md), [**readdir**(3)](/readdir/3.md), [**rewinddir**(3)](/rewinddir/3.md), [**scandir**(3)](/scandir/3.md), [**seekdir**(3)](/seekdir/3.md)