# mktemp > Create a temporary file or directory. > More information: . - Create an empty temporary file and print its absolute path: `mktemp` - Use a custom directory (defaults to the output of `getconf DARWIN_USER_TEMP_DIR`, or `/tmp`): `mktemp --tmpdir={{/path/to/tempdir}}` - Use a custom path template (`X`s are replaced with random alphanumeric characters): `mktemp {{/tmp/example.XXXXXXXX}}` - Use a custom file name prefix: `mktemp -t {{example}}` - Create an empty temporary directory and print its absolute path: `mktemp --directory`