# Creating width and device variants of strings Change a localized string for different interface widths and devices. ## Overview > Important: In Xcode 15 and later, use Dynamic Type instead of width variants and string catalogs to create device variants. > For more information, see and . You can use a `.stringsdict` file to provide variants of a string for different view widths and for different devices. For example, display a different string for an iOS device in landscape or in portrait mode, or display a different string when your iPad app built with Mac Catalyst runs on a Mac. A `.stringsdict` file is a property list that defines plural, width, and device variants of localizable strings. The `.stringsdict` file contains a dictionary of key-value pairs where the values are either a plural, width, or device rule. The key for a rule is the string that you pass to structures, the macro, and similar APIs in your code. The rule can be a plural, width, or device rule that determines which formatted string the macro returns. To create plural variants for formatted strings that contain amounts, see [Localizing strings that contain plurals](/documentation/Xcode/localizing-strings-that-contain-plurals). ### Add a strings dictionary file to your project To add a `.stringsdict` file to your project, choose File > New > File from Template. In the sheet that appears, select the platform, enter `strings` in the Filter field, select Stringsdict File, and click Next. In the dialog that appears, enter a name for the file, choose a location, and click Create. ### Provide string variants for different widths A *width rule* specifies variants for different available widths in the user interface. It contains a single dictionary with a single key-value pair. The key in the dictionary is `NSStringVariableWidthRuleType` and the value is another dictionary with key-value pairs for each variant. The key for a variant is a width and the value is a string. In the following `.stringsdict` file, for the `hello` string in the code, the width variations are `1`, `22`, and `53`, and the values are `Hi`, `Hello`, and `Greetings and Salutations`: ```other hello NSStringVariableWidthRuleType 1 Hi 22 Hello 53 Greetings and Salutations ``` For objects, the width is in em units that fit across the app window; otherwise, the width doesn’t have an associated unit. The width rule defines variants for a range of widths: - If the width is between two numerically sequential keys, the API returns the variant with the smaller key. - If the width is less than all keys, the API returns the variant for the smallest key. In the code above, if the width is `2`, the macro returns `Hi`. If the width is `52`, the macro returns `Hello`. To get a variant for a specific width in your code, see the method. ### Provide device-specific string variants A *device rule* specifies a different string depending on the device. For example, your universal app may present different instructions to the user when running on an iOS device than when running on a Mac. A device rule contains a single dictionary with a single key-value pair. The key is `NSStringDeviceSpecificRuleType` and the value is a dictionary with the following optional key-value pairs: |Key |Description | |-----------|--------------------------------------| |appletv |The string to use on Apple TV. | |applevision|The string to use on Apple Vision Pro.| |applewatch |The string to use on Apple Watch. | |ipad |The string to use on iPad. | |iphone |The string to use on iPhone. | |ipod |The string to use on iPod. | |mac |The string to use on Mac. | In the following `.stringsdict` file, when you pass `UserInstructions` as the string in your code, it returns `Tap here` when the app runs on an iPhone, `Click here` when it runs on a Mac, and `Press here` when it runs on an Apple TV: ```other UserInstructions NSStringDeviceSpecificRuleType iphone Tap here mac Click here appletv Press here ``` --- Copyright © 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)