How do I delete a file or folder in Python?

Question

How do I delete a file or folder?

Solution 1

• os.remove() removes a file.

• os.rmdir() removes an empty directory.

• shutil.rmtree() deletes a directory and all its contents.

---

Path objects from the Python 3.4+ pathlib module also expose these instance methods:

• pathlib.Path.unlink() removes a file or symbolic link.

• pathlib.Path.rmdir() removes an empty directory.

Solution 2

Python syntax to delete a file

import os
os.remove("/tmp/<file_name>.txt")

Or

import os
os.unlink("/tmp/<file_name>.txt")

Or

pathlib Library for Python version >= 3.4

file_to_rem = pathlib.Path("/tmp/<file_name>.txt")
file_to_rem.unlink()

Path.unlink(missing_ok=False)

Unlink method used to remove the file or the symbolik link.

If missing_ok is false (the default), FileNotFoundError is raised if the path does not exist.
If missing_ok is true, FileNotFoundError exceptions will be ignored (same behavior as the POSIX rm -f command).
Changed in version 3.8: The missing_ok parameter was added.

Best practice

1. First, check whether the file or folder exists or not then only delete that file. This can be achieved in two ways :
   a. os.path.isfile("/path/to/file")
   b. Use exception handling.
   

EXAMPLE for os.path.isfile

#!/usr/bin/python
import os
myfile="/tmp/foo.txt"

## If file exists, delete it ##
if os.path.isfile(myfile):
    os.remove(myfile)
else:    ## Show an error ##
    print("Error: %s file not found" % myfile)

Exception Handling

#!/usr/bin/python
import os

## Get input ##
myfile= raw_input("Enter file name to delete: ")

## Try to delete the file ##
try:
    os.remove(myfile)
except OSError as e:  ## if failed, report it back to the user ##
    print ("Error: %s - %s." % (e.filename, e.strerror))

RESPECTIVE OUTPUT

Enter file name to delete : demo.txt
Error: demo.txt - No such file or directory.

Enter file name to delete : rrr.txt
Error: rrr.txt - Operation not permitted.

Enter file name to delete : foo.txt

Python syntax to delete a folder

shutil.rmtree()

Example for shutil.rmtree()

#!/usr/bin/python
import os
import sys
import shutil

# Get directory name
mydir= raw_input("Enter directory name: ")

## Try to remove tree; if failed show an error using try...except on screen
try:
    shutil.rmtree(mydir)
except OSError as e:
    print ("Error: %s - %s." % (e.filename, e.strerror))

Solution 3

Use

shutil.rmtree(path[, ignore_errors[, onerror]])

(See complete documentation on shutil) and/or

os.remove

and

os.rmdir

(Complete documentation on os.)

Solution 4

Here is a robust function that uses both os.remove and shutil.rmtree:

def remove(path):
    """ param <path> could either be relative or absolute. """
    if os.path.isfile(path) or os.path.islink(path):
        os.remove(path)  # remove the file
    elif os.path.isdir(path):
        shutil.rmtree(path)  # remove dir and all contains
    else:
        raise ValueError("file {} is not a file or dir.".format(path))

Solution 5

You can use the built-in pathlib module (requires Python 3.4+, but there are backports for older versions on PyPI: pathlib, pathlib2).

To remove a file there is the unlink method:

import pathlib
path = pathlib.Path(name_of_file)
path.unlink()

Or the rmdir method to remove an empty folder:

import pathlib
path = pathlib.Path(name_of_folder)
path.rmdir()

View more solutions

Comments

[Ilya Serbis]

os.rmdir() on Windows also removes directory symbolic link even if the target dir isn't empty

[Paebbels]

Please add the pathlib interface (new since Python 3.4) to your list.

[Kaz]

I.e. 8 lines of code to simulate the ISO C remove(path); call.

[Lalithesh]

This will delete only the files inside the folder and subfolders leaving the folder structure intact..

[Admin]

If the file doesn't exist, os.remove() throws an exception, so it may be necessary to check os.path.isfile() first, or wrap in a try.

[Pranasas]

What about a non-empty directory though?

[MSeifert]

@Pranasas Unfortunately it seems there is nothing (natively) in pathlib that can handle deleting non-empty directories. However you could use shutil.rmtree. It has been mentioned in several of the other answers so I haven't included it.

[mhsmith]

shutil.rmtree is not supposed to be asynchronous. However, it may appear to be on Windows with virus scanners interfering.

[Stein]

rmtree(directory_path) works in python 3.6.6 but not in python 3.5.2 - you need rmtree(str(directory_path))) there.

[Ciro Santilli OurBigBook.com]

@Kaz agreed annoying, but does remove deal with trees? :-)

[dlewin]

Subprocess is practice to avoid

[merwok]

Exception handling is recommended over checking because the file could be removed or changed between the two lines (TOCTOU: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_of_check_to_time_of_use) See Python FAQ docs.python.org/3/glossary.html#term-eafp

[Mark Amery]

@mhsmith Virus scanners? Is that wild speculation, or do you actually know that they can cause this effect? How on earth does that work if so?

[Mark Amery]

I wouldn't recommend subprocess for this. shutil.rmtree does rm -r's job just fine, with the added bonus of working on Windows.

[Neo li]

os.path.islink(file_path): a bug, should be os.path.islink(path):

[PedroA]

just for completion... the exception thrown by os.remove() if a file doesn't exist is FileNotFoundError.

[Tiago Martins Peres]

shutil.rmtree() removes not only the directory but also its content.

[user324747]

Does os.remove() take multiple arguments to delete multiple files, or do you call it each time for each file?

[AO_]

Have this mapped out already here: ao.gl/how-to-delete-a-file-in-python

[jaaq]

Also EAFP is preferred over LBYL in Python.

[Felix]

@Jérôme I think missing_ok=True, added in 3.8 solves that!

[Petr Vepřek]

os.removedirs removes a branch of empty directories (i.e. it first deletes empty leaf directory and then it continues up the branch hierarchy deleting all empty directories).

[Welgriv]

what's the point to catch the exception in the very last example ?

[young_souvlaki]

If you opened the file in a with statement and assigned it to f, you can issue os.remove(f.name) within the with block.

[user171780]

@TiagoMartinsPeres how can you remove a directory but not it's content?

[Tiago Martins Peres]

@user171780 what should happen with the content then?