`pathlib`

The Python pathlib module provides an object-oriented approach to handling file system paths. It offers classes to handle different types of paths, such as POSIX and Windows, making path manipulations more intuitive and less error-prone.

Here’s a quick example:

>>> from pathlib import Path
>>> bin = Path("/usr/bin")
>>> bin.exists()
True

Key Features

Provides classes for file system path manipulation
Supports both POSIX and Windows paths
Offers tools for common path operations like reading, writing, and iterating through files
Supports high-level file operations like copying and moving with Path.copy() and Path.move() (Python 3.14+)

Frequently Used Classes and Functions

Object	Type	Description
`pathlib.Path`	Class	Represents a file system path
`pathlib.PurePath`	Class	Provides path-handling operations that don’t access the file system
`pathlib.Path.glob()`	Method	Finds all matching pathnames
`pathlib.Path.mkdir()`	Method	Creates a new directory

Examples

Creating a directory:

>>> dir = Path("new_folder")
>>> dir.mkdir()
>>> dir.exists()
True

Writing and reading a file:

>>> file = Path("example.txt")
>>> file.write_text("Hello, World!")
13
>>> file.read_text()
'Hello, World!'

Iterating over files in a directory:

>>> for file in Path(".").iterdir():
...     print(file)
...

Common Use Cases

Facilitating cross-platform path manipulations
Navigating and manipulating file system paths
Reading and writing to files in a path-oriented manner

Real-World Example

Say you want to list all Python files in a directory and its subdirectories:

>>> from pathlib import Path
>>> project_dir = Path("project")
>>> python_files = list(project_dir.rglob("*.py"))
>>> python_files
[PosixPath('project/main.py'), PosixPath('project/utils/helper.py')]

In this example, you use pathlib to recursively find all Python files in a given directory.

Python 3 "pathlib" Module: Taming The Filesystem

Tutorial

Python's pathlib Module: Taming the File System

Handle file and folder paths the modern way with Python pathlib, a built-in module whose semantics work the same on every OS.

intermediate python stdlib

For additional information on related topics, take a look at the following resources:

How to Get a List of All Files in a Directory With Python (Tutorial)
Using Python's pathlib Module (Course)
Python Basics: File System Operations (Course)
Listing All Files in a Directory With Python (Course)
Working With Files in Python (Tutorial)
Python's pathlib Module: Taming the File System (Quiz)
How to Get a List of All Files in a Directory With Python (Quiz)
Practical Recipes for Working With Files in Python (Course)
Working With Files in Python (Quiz)

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By Leodanis Pozo Ramos • Updated Oct. 10, 2026

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