Delete Files and Directories in Python

In this tutorial, we will explore various methods to delete files and directories using Python's built-in functions and third-party libraries. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced developer, this tutorial will equip you with the necessary knowledge to manage your file system efficiently. So, let's dive in and learn how to delete files and directories in Python.

Different methods of deleting files in python

How to delete a File in python using os.remove() function

• Use the  os.remove()  function to delete a file from a directory using the file's path.
• Use the  os.remove()  method to delete a file from a directory.
• If the file does not exist, it will raise a   FileNotFoundError .
• Code Sample : 

import os

os.remove("/path/to/file")

How to delete a file in python using rmtree() function

• Use the  shutil  module's  rmtree()  function to delete a directory and all its contents.
• Code Sample : 

import shutil

shutil.rmtree("/path/to/directory")

How to remove file using os.unlink() Method

• Use the  os.unlink()  method to delete a file from a directory.
• Code Sample : 

import os

os.unlink("/path/to/file")

Using the Pathlib Module to remove file

• Use the  pathlib  module to remove a file from a directory.
• Code Sample : 

from pathlib import Path

file = Path("/path/to/file")
file.unlink()

Different scenarios of deleting files in python

Delete all files from a directory

• Use the  os  module to delete all files from a directory.
• Code Sample : 

import os

for file in os.listdir("/path/to/directory"):
   os.remove(os.path.join("/path/to/directory", file))
   
   
   

How to deleting files that match a pattern

• Use the  glob  module to delete files from a directory that match a specific pattern.
• Code Sample : 

import glob
import os

for file in glob.glob("/path/to/directory/*.txt"):
   os.remove(file)
   
   
   

How to delete files with specific extension

• Use the  os  module to delete files from a directory with a specific extension.
• Code Sample : 

import os

for file in os.listdir("/path/to/directory"):
   if file.endswith(".txt"):
       os.remove(os.path.join("/path/to/directory", file))
       
       
       

How to delete file whose name starts with specific string

• Use the  os  module to delete files from a directory whose name starts with a specific string.
• Code Sample : 

import os

for file in os.listdir("/path/to/directory"):
   if file.startswith("text"):
       os.remove(os.path.join("/path/to/directory", file))
       
       
       

How to delete file whose name contains a specific letters

• Use the  os  module to delete files from a directory whose name contains specific letters.
• Code Sample : 

import os

for file in os.listdir("/path/to/directory"):
   if "sample" in file:
       os.remove(os.path.join("/path/to/directory", file))
       
       
       

How to deleting files matching a pattern from all subfolders

• Use the   os.walk()  method to delete files from all subfolders of a directory that match a specific pattern.
• Code Sample : 

import os

for root, dirs, files in os.walk("/path/to/directory"):
   for file in files:
       if file.endswith(".txt"):
           os.remove(os.path.join(root, file))
           
           
           

Path of the file to delete

Remove files using relative path

• Use the relative path to delete a file from a directory.
• Code Sample : 

import os

os.remove("file_name")

Remove files using absolute path

• Use the absolute path to delete a file from a directory.
• Code Sample : 

import os

os.remove("/path/to/file")

How to check if file exist before deleting it

• Use the  os.path.exists()  method to check if a file exists before deleting it from a directory.
• Code Sample : 

import os

if os.path.exists("/path/to/file"):
   os.remove("/path/to/file")
else:
   print("File does not exist")
   
   

Deleting directories in python

How to delete an empty directory using rmdir()

• Use the  os  module's  rmdir()  method to delete an empty directory from a directory.
• Code Sample : 

import os

os.rmdir("/path/to/empty_directory")

How to delete a non-empty directory using rmtree()

• Use the  shutil  module's  rmtree()  method  to delete a non-empty directory from a directory.
• Code Sample : 

import shutil

shutil.rmtree("/path/to/non_empty_directory")