# UnsafeBufferPointer A nonowning collection interface to a buffer of elements stored contiguously in memory. ``` @frozen struct UnsafeBufferPointer where Element : ~Copyable ``` ## Overview You can use an `UnsafeBufferPointer` instance in low level operations to eliminate uniqueness checks and, in release mode, bounds checks. Bounds checks are always performed in debug mode. # UnsafeBufferPointer Semantics An `UnsafeBufferPointer` instance is a view into memory and does not own the memory that it references. Copying a value of type `UnsafeBufferPointer` does not copy the instances stored in the underlying memory. However, initializing another collection with an `UnsafeBufferPointer` instance copies the instances out of the referenced memory and into the new collection. ## Topics ### Initializers [`init(MLMultiArray) throws`](/documentation/Swift/UnsafeBufferPointer/init(_:)-2fjdq) [`init(UnsafeMutableBufferPointer)`](/documentation/Swift/UnsafeBufferPointer/init(_:)-36fvm) Creates an immutable typed buffer pointer referencing the same memory as the given mutable buffer pointer. [`init(AudioBuffer)`](/documentation/Swift/UnsafeBufferPointer/init(_:)-5ei4s) Initialize an `UnsafeBufferPointer` from an `AudioBuffer`. Binds the buffer’s memory type to `Element`. [`init(rebasing: Slice>)`](/documentation/Swift/UnsafeBufferPointer/init(rebasing:)-53eec) Creates a buffer over the same memory as the given buffer slice. [`init(rebasing: Slice>)`](/documentation/Swift/UnsafeBufferPointer/init(rebasing:)-56rdb) Creates a buffer over the same memory as the given buffer slice. [`init(start: UnsafePointer?, count: Int)`](/documentation/Swift/UnsafeBufferPointer/init(start:count:)) Creates a new buffer pointer over the specified number of contiguous instances beginning at the given pointer. ### Instance Properties [`var baseAddress: UnsafePointer?`](/documentation/Swift/UnsafeBufferPointer/baseAddress) A pointer to the first element of the buffer. [`let count: Int`](/documentation/Swift/UnsafeBufferPointer/count) The number of elements in the buffer. [`var span: Span`](/documentation/Swift/UnsafeBufferPointer/span) A span over the elements of this buffer. ### Instance Methods [`func deallocate()`](/documentation/Swift/UnsafeBufferPointer/deallocate()) Deallocates the memory block previously allocated at this buffer pointer’s base address. [`func extracting(some RangeExpression) -> UnsafeBufferPointer`](/documentation/Swift/UnsafeBufferPointer/extracting(_:)-47z4z) Constructs a standalone buffer pointer over the items within the supplied range of positions in the memory region addressed by this buffer pointer. [`func extracting(UnboundedRange) -> UnsafeBufferPointer`](/documentation/Swift/UnsafeBufferPointer/extracting(_:)-4bn8q) Extracts and returns a copy of the entire buffer. [`func extracting(Range) -> UnsafeBufferPointer`](/documentation/Swift/UnsafeBufferPointer/extracting(_:)-nivx) Constructs a standalone buffer pointer over the items within the supplied range of positions in the memory region addressed by this buffer pointer. [`func isTriviallyIdentical(to: UnsafeBufferPointer) -> Bool`](/documentation/Swift/UnsafeBufferPointer/isTriviallyIdentical(to:)) Returns a Boolean value indicating whether two instances refer to the same memory region. [`func withMemoryRebound(to: T.Type, (UnsafeBufferPointer) throws(E) -> Result) throws(E) -> Result`](/documentation/Swift/UnsafeBufferPointer/withMemoryRebound(to:_:)) Executes the given closure while temporarily binding the memory referenced by this buffer to the given type. ### Subscripts [`subscript(Int) -> Element`](/documentation/Swift/UnsafeBufferPointer/subscript(_:)-3sy16) Accesses the element at the specified position. ### Default Implementations [AtomicRepresentable Implementations](/documentation/Swift/UnsafeBufferPointer/AtomicRepresentable-Implementations) [BidirectionalCollection Implementations](/documentation/Swift/UnsafeBufferPointer/BidirectionalCollection-Implementations) [Collection Implementations](/documentation/Swift/UnsafeBufferPointer/Collection-Implementations) [CustomDebugStringConvertible Implementations](/documentation/Swift/UnsafeBufferPointer/CustomDebugStringConvertible-Implementations) [OperationParameter Implementations](/documentation/Swift/UnsafeBufferPointer/OperationParameter-Implementations) [Sequence Implementations](/documentation/Swift/UnsafeBufferPointer/Sequence-Implementations) ## Relationships ### Conforms To [`RandomAccessCollection`](/documentation/Swift/RandomAccessCollection) [`Copyable`](/documentation/Swift/Copyable) [`OperationParameter`](/documentation/Accelerate/BNNSGraph/Builder/OperationParameter) [`DataProtocol`](/documentation/Foundation/DataProtocol) [`ConvertibleToBytes`](/documentation/Swift/ConvertibleToBytes) [`Collection`](/documentation/Swift/Collection) [`ContiguousBytes`](/documentation/Foundation/ContiguousBytes) [`BidirectionalCollection`](/documentation/Swift/BidirectionalCollection) [`Sequence`](/documentation/Swift/Sequence) [`AccelerateBuffer`](/documentation/Accelerate/AccelerateBuffer) [`BitwiseCopyable`](/documentation/Swift/BitwiseCopyable) [`CustomDebugStringConvertible`](/documentation/Swift/CustomDebugStringConvertible) [`Escapable`](/documentation/Swift/Escapable) [`AtomicRepresentable`](/documentation/Synchronization/AtomicRepresentable) --- 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)