The essential guide on Python Delete Files: Beginner python tutorials 26 | Better4Code
Python Delete Files: Python is a high-level programming language that offers a wide range of functions and libraries for developers to work with. One such function is file handling. In this article, we’ll be discussing how to delete files using Python.
Python Delete files is a simple process that can be accomplished using a few lines of code. However, before we begin, it’s important to note that deleting files is a permanent action, and once a file has been deleted, it cannot be recovered.
Therefore, it’s important to be careful when deleting files, and to always make a backup before performing any deletion.
There are different methods to delete files in Python, we’ll discuss the most commonly used two methods:
Method 1: Using the os module
The os module is a built-in module in Python that provides a way to interact with the operating system. To delete a file using the os module, we need to import it first.
import os
We can then use the os.remove() function to delete the file. This function takes the file path as its argument. Here’s an example:
import os
# specify the file path
file_path = 'path/to/file.txt'
# delete the file
os.remove(file_path)
print("File deleted successfully")
In the above code, we first specified the file path, and then used the os.remove() function to delete the file. Finally, we printed a message to indicate that the file has been deleted.
Method 2: Using the pathlib module
The pathlib module is another built-in module in Python that provides an object-oriented way to work with files and directories. To delete a file using the pathlib module, we need to import it first.
from pathlib import Path
We can then create a Path object with the file path, and call the unlink() method to delete the file. Here’s an example:
from pathlib import Path
# specify the file path
file_path = Path('path/to/file.txt')
# delete the file
file_path.unlink()
print("File deleted successfully")
In the above code, we first created a Path object with the file path, and then called the unlink() method to delete the file. Finally, we printed a message to indicate that the file has been deleted.
