This fixes the issue when selecting a file from Downloads directory as well as the SD Card. This class can be called like this: String sourcePath = FileUtils.getRealPathFromURI_API19(this, data.getData());

README.txt

IMPORTANT!!

USE THIS LIBRARY INSTEAD: https://github.com/HBiSoft/PickiT

FileUtils.java

import android.annotation.SuppressLint;
import android.content.ContentUris;
import android.content.Context;
import android.content.CursorLoader;
import android.database.Cursor;
import android.net.Uri;
import android.os.Build;
import android.os.Environment;
import android.provider.DocumentsContract;
import android.provider.MediaStore;

public class FileUtils {

    public static String getRealPath(Context context, Uri fileUri) {
        String realPath;
        // SDK < API11
        if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT < 11) {
            realPath = FileUtils.getRealPathFromURI_BelowAPI11(context, fileUri);
        }
        // SDK >= 11 && SDK < 19
        else if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT < 19) {
            realPath = FileUtils.getRealPathFromURI_API11to18(context, fileUri);
        }
        // SDK > 19 (Android 4.4) and up
        else {
            realPath = FileUtils.getRealPathFromURI_API19(context, fileUri);
        }
        return realPath;
    }


    @SuppressLint("NewApi")
    public static String getRealPathFromURI_API11to18(Context context, Uri contentUri) {
        String[] proj = {MediaStore.Images.Media.DATA};
        String result = null;

        CursorLoader cursorLoader = new CursorLoader(context, contentUri, proj, null, null, null);
        Cursor cursor = cursorLoader.loadInBackground();

        if (cursor != null) {
            int column_index = cursor.getColumnIndexOrThrow(MediaStore.Images.Media.DATA);
            cursor.moveToFirst();
            result = cursor.getString(column_index);
            cursor.close();
        }
        return result;
    }

    public static String getRealPathFromURI_BelowAPI11(Context context, Uri contentUri) {
        String[] proj = {MediaStore.Images.Media.DATA};
        Cursor cursor = context.getContentResolver().query(contentUri, proj, null, null, null);
        int column_index = 0;
        String result = "";
        if (cursor != null) {
            column_index = cursor.getColumnIndexOrThrow(MediaStore.Images.Media.DATA);
            cursor.moveToFirst();
            result = cursor.getString(column_index);
            cursor.close();
            return result;
        }
        return result;
    }

    @SuppressLint("NewApi")
    public static String getRealPathFromURI_API19(final Context context, final Uri uri) {

        final boolean isKitKat = Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.KITKAT;

        // DocumentProvider
        if (isKitKat && DocumentsContract.isDocumentUri(context, uri)) {
            // ExternalStorageProvider
            if (isExternalStorageDocument(uri)) {
                final String docId = DocumentsContract.getDocumentId(uri);
                final String[] split = docId.split(":");
                final String type = split[0];

                // This is for checking Main Memory
                if ("primary".equalsIgnoreCase(type)) {
                    if (split.length > 1) {
                        return Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory() + "/" + split[1];
                    } else {
                        return Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory() + "/";
                    }
                    // This is for checking SD Card
                } else {
                    return "storage" + "/" + docId.replace(":", "/");
                }

            }
            // DownloadsProvider
            else if (isDownloadsDocument(uri)) {
                String fileName = getFilePath(context, uri);
                if (fileName != null) {
                    return Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory().toString() + "/Download/" + fileName;
                }

                String id = DocumentsContract.getDocumentId(uri);
                if (id.startsWith("raw:")) {
                    id = id.replaceFirst("raw:", "");
                    File file = new File(id);
                    if (file.exists())
                        return id;
                }

                final Uri contentUri = ContentUris.withAppendedId(Uri.parse("content://downloads/public_downloads"), Long.valueOf(id));
                return getDataColumn(context, contentUri, null, null);
            }
            // MediaProvider
            else if (isMediaDocument(uri)) {
                final String docId = DocumentsContract.getDocumentId(uri);
                final String[] split = docId.split(":");
                final String type = split[0];

                Uri contentUri = null;
                if ("image".equals(type)) {
                    contentUri = MediaStore.Images.Media.EXTERNAL_CONTENT_URI;
                } else if ("video".equals(type)) {
                    contentUri = MediaStore.Video.Media.EXTERNAL_CONTENT_URI;
                } else if ("audio".equals(type)) {
                    contentUri = MediaStore.Audio.Media.EXTERNAL_CONTENT_URI;
                }

                final String selection = "_id=?";
                final String[] selectionArgs = new String[]{
                        split[1]
                };

                return getDataColumn(context, contentUri, selection, selectionArgs);
            }
        }
        // MediaStore (and general)
        else if ("content".equalsIgnoreCase(uri.getScheme())) {

            // Return the remote address
            if (isGooglePhotosUri(uri))
                return uri.getLastPathSegment();

            return getDataColumn(context, uri, null, null);
        }
        // File
        else if ("file".equalsIgnoreCase(uri.getScheme())) {
            return uri.getPath();
        }

        return null;
    }

    public static String getDataColumn(Context context, Uri uri, String selection,
                                       String[] selectionArgs) {

        Cursor cursor = null;
        final String column = "_data";
        final String[] projection = {
                column
        };

        try {
            cursor = context.getContentResolver().query(uri, projection, selection, selectionArgs,
                    null);
            if (cursor != null && cursor.moveToFirst()) {
                final int index = cursor.getColumnIndexOrThrow(column);
                return cursor.getString(index);
            }
        } finally {
            if (cursor != null)
                cursor.close();
        }
        return null;
    }


    public static String getFilePath(Context context, Uri uri) {

        Cursor cursor = null;
        final String[] projection = {
                MediaStore.MediaColumns.DISPLAY_NAME
        };

        try {
            cursor = context.getContentResolver().query(uri, projection, null, null,
                    null);
            if (cursor != null && cursor.moveToFirst()) {
                final int index = cursor.getColumnIndexOrThrow(MediaStore.MediaColumns.DISPLAY_NAME);
                return cursor.getString(index);
            }
        } finally {
            if (cursor != null)
                cursor.close();
        }
        return null;
    }

    /**
     * @param uri The Uri to check.
     * @return Whether the Uri authority is ExternalStorageProvider.
     */
    public static boolean isExternalStorageDocument(Uri uri) {
        return "com.android.externalstorage.documents".equals(uri.getAuthority());
    }

    /**
     * @param uri The Uri to check.
     * @return Whether the Uri authority is DownloadsProvider.
     */
    public static boolean isDownloadsDocument(Uri uri) {
        return "com.android.providers.downloads.documents".equals(uri.getAuthority());
    }

    /**
     * @param uri The Uri to check.
     * @return Whether the Uri authority is MediaProvider.
     */
    public static boolean isMediaDocument(Uri uri) {
        return "com.android.providers.media.documents".equals(uri.getAuthority());
    }

    /**
     * @param uri The Uri to check.
     * @return Whether the Uri authority is Google Photos.
     */
    public static boolean isGooglePhotosUri(Uri uri) {
        return "com.google.android.apps.photos.content".equals(uri.getAuthority());
    }
}

IMPORTANT UPDATE!!

(EDIT - 17 Aug 2019 - I created a library that can handle all of this for you, here is the link - https://github.com/HBiSoft/PickiT)

---

I'm not sure if anybody noticed that when you select a file from Google Drive or Dropbox then you will get the following error:

Caused by java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: column '_data' does not exist

To resolve this you actually have to make a temporary copy of the file you are trying to select.

First you have to check if the content:// uri is from Google Drive, you can do this by doing the following:

public boolean isGoogleDrive(Uri uri) {
    return String.valueOf(uri).toLowerCase().contains("com.google.android.apps");
}

This will return true if it is a file from Google Drive. If it is, I will call a AsyncTask, as shown below:

//The data.getData() below refers to the uri you get in onActivityResult
if (isGoogleDrive(data.getData())) {
    DownloadAsyncTask asyntask = new DownloadAsyncTask(data.getData(), this);
    asyntask.execute();
    asyntask.callback = this;
}

In the AsyncTask we will use the Uri to open a InputStream and get the byte data back which we will use to make a copy of the file.

Here is the AsyncTask class (I've added comments to make it more understandable):

class DownloadAsyncTask extends AsyncTask<Uri, Void, String> {
    private Uri mUri;
    CallBackTask callback;
    Context mContext;
    private AlertDialog mdialog;

    DownloadAsyncTask(Uri uri, Context context) {
        this.mUri = uri;
        mContext = context;
    }

    // In the onPreExecute() I'm displaying a custom dialog, this is not necessary, but recommended for when the user selects a large file
    @Override
    protected void onPreExecute() {
        final AlertDialog.Builder mPro = new AlertDialog.Builder(new ContextThemeWrapper(mContext, R.style.myDialog));
        @SuppressLint("InflateParams") 
        //Get reference to dialog layout
        final View mPView = LayoutInflater.from(mContext).inflate(R.layout.dialog, null);
        //Get reference to dialog title
        final TextView title = mPView.findViewById(R.id.txtTitle);
        //Get reference to dialog description
        final TextView desc = mPView.findViewById(R.id.txtDesc);

        //Set title text
        title.setText("Please wait..");
        //Set description text
        desc.setText("Drive files needs to be imported, this might take some time depending on the file size.");

        mPro.setView(mPView);
        mdialog = mPro.create();
        mdialog.show();

    }

    @RequiresApi(api = Build.VERSION_CODES.KITKAT)
    @Override
    protected String doInBackground(Uri... params) {
        //This will be the file we will use (the one that will be copied)
        File file = null;
        try {
            //Create a temporary folder where the copy will be saved to
            File temp_folder = mContext.getExternalFilesDir("TempFolder");

            //Use ContentResolver to get the name of the original name
            //Create a cursor and pass the Uri to it
            Cursor cursor = mContext.getContentResolver().query(mUri, null, null, null, null);
            //Check that the cursor is not null
            assert cursor != null;
            int nameIndex = cursor.getColumnIndex(OpenableColumns.DISPLAY_NAME);
            cursor.moveToFirst();
            //Get the file name
            String filename = cursor.getString(nameIndex);
            //Close the cursor
            cursor.close();

            //open a InputStream by passing it the Uri
            //We have to do this in a try/catch
            InputStream is = null;
            try {
                is = mContext.getContentResolver().openInputStream(mUri);
            } catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
                e.printStackTrace();
            }

            //We now have a folder and a file name, now we can create a file
            file = new File(temp_folder + "/" + filename);

            //We can now use a BufferedInputStream to pass the InputStream we opened above to it
            BufferedInputStream bis = new BufferedInputStream(is);
            //We will write the byte data to the FileOutputStream, but we first have to create it
            FileOutputStream fos = new FileOutputStream(file);

            byte data[] = new byte[1024];
            long total = 0;
            int count;
            //Below we will read all the byte data and write it to the FileOutputStream
            while ((count = bis.read(data)) != -1) {
                total += count;
                fos.write(data, 0, count);
            }
            //The FileOutputStream is done and the file is created and we can clean and close it
            fos.flush();
            fos.close();

        } catch (IOException e) {
            Log.e("IOException = ", String.valueOf(e));
        }

        //Finally we can pass the path of the file we have copied
        return file.getAbsolutePath();


    }

    protected void onPostExecute(String result) {
        //We are done and can cancel the dialog
        if (mdialog != null && mdialog.isShowing()) {
            mdialog.cancel();
        }
        //I'm using a callback to let my Activity know that the AsyncTask is done. I pass the path along.
        callback.getResultFromAsynTask(result);


    }
}

You will see that in the onPostExecute() above I have callback.getResultFromAsynTask(result);. As I mentioned in the comment, I'm using a callback method to let the Activity know that I'm done and I pass the path to the callback.

In you Activity you have to implement the callback, like this:

public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity implements CallBackTask {

and the CallBackTask will look like this:

interface CallBackTask {
    void getResultFromAsynTask(String result);
 }

now you have to implement it in your Activity to get the result in your Activity:

@Override
public void getResultFromAsynTask(String result) {
    // Do what you need with the result like starting your new Activity and passing the path
    final Intent intent = new Intent();
    intent.setClass(MainActivity.this, Player.class);
    intent.putExtra("path", result);
    startActivity(intent);
}

GREAT, you now have a Uri from a File://(instead of content://) that you have temporarily copied. But, don't forget to delete the file when you are done with it, otherwise your application size will keep growing bigger.

Below, I will delete the TempFolder we created earlier, I will be doing this in the Activities onBackPressed (this should be done in onDestroy() as well):

@Override
public void onBackPressed() {
    super.onBackPressed();
    File dir = getBaseContext().getExternalFilesDir("TempFolder");
    deleteRecursive(dir);
}

void deleteRecursive(File fileOrDirectory) {
    if (fileOrDirectory.isDirectory())
        for (File child : fileOrDirectory.listFiles())
            deleteRecursive(child);

    fileOrDirectory.delete();
}

This is a lot read BUT...
By doing it this way, you will NEVER have issues with any content:// Uri's.

Thank you for the update about "_data" column! Got this error yesterday and resolved it with your code.

thank you for your help , it's really detail and integrated for all API

Though this is a great Utils class on it's own, you might run into some problems.

I would suggest you have a look at a library I've created - https://github.com/HBiSoft/PickiT

The library fixes all the following issues that this utils class might cause:

• When selecting a file from an unknown provider, it might return the wrong path because a Uri doesn't have to provide the actual name or file extension - https://stackoverflow.com/a/46060940/11951642
• When selecting a file from Dropbox, Google Drive or OneDrive you will get column '_data' does not exist because the file needs to be "copied" to a folder where you can get access to it - https://stackoverflow.com/a/42508921/11951642
• If the selected file is in a sub-directory inside the Downloads folder, the returned path will be incorrect.

The library is easy to implement and handles everything for you. If you want to keep using this class, you are welcome to do so, but as I mentioned, it will cause one of the above issues sooner or later.

this work fine...thanks hb

thanks... for share!

perfect solution, thanks a lot...

Its working Fine but API 30 its not working.

@pnavyasree Use the library mentioned in the previous comment

awesome... Thanks

Works like a charm