How to Check if a File or Directory Exists using Python

In this tutorial, you will learn how to check whether a file or folder exists using Python.

import os

# file; output: true/false
os.path.isfile("path-to-file/file_name.extension")

# folder/directory
os.path.isdir("path")

Check if File Exists

Let's say, you want to check whether there is a test.csv file on your desktop. Use isfile to achieves this:

import os

desktop_path = os.path.expanduser("~/Desktop")

check = os.path.isfile(desktop_path + '/test.csv')

print(check)

The output is True or False depending on whether it exists.

Check if Folder Exists

Similarly, you can use isdir to check whether there is a Test folder on your desktop.

import os

desktop_path = os.path.expanduser("~/Desktop")

check = os.path.isdir(desktop_path + '/Test')

print(check)

That's it! You just learned how to check whether a file or folder exists using Python.