Python File System with OS and shutil Modules

File & Directory Management, Automation, Copy/Move/Delete

What you'll Learn

• What are os and shutil modules
• How to interact with the file system using Python
• Create, rename and delete files/directories
• Navigate through directories
• Copy, move and remove files using shutil
• Automating repetitive file tasks
• Best practices for safe file handling

Introduction

When working on projects, you'll often need to:

• Check if a file exists
• Create folders for saving output
• Move or delete files automatically
• Organize large datasets

Python's built-in os and shutil modules make these tasks simple and powerful.

The os Module – Working with Files and Directories

Get Current working directory

import os
print(os.getcwd())  # e.g., /Users/john/projects

List Files in a Directory

files = os.listdir(".")  # ".means current directory
print(files)

Create and Remove Directories

os.mkdir("new_folder")  # create new folder
os.rmdir("new_folder")  # remove empty folder

Rename Files or Folders

os.rename('old.txt', 'new.txt')

Check Path and File Existence

print(os.path.exists("data.txt"))  # True/False
print(os.path.isfile("data.txt"))  # Check if it's a file
print(os.path.isdir("my_folder"))  # Check if it's a folder

The shutil Module – High-Level File Operations

The shutil module gives you advanced operations like copy, move, and delete.

import shutil


shutil.copy("data.txt", "backup.txt")  # copy file
shutil.copytree("src_folder", "dest_folder")  # copy entire folder

Move Files

shutil.move("backup.txt", "archive/backup.txt")

Remove Directories

shutil.rmtree("old_folder")  # removes folder + all contents

⚠️ Be careful with rmtree() – it deletes everything inside permanently.

Example: File Organizer Script

import os, shutil


def organize_files(folder):
	for filename in os.listdir(folder):
		if filename.endswith(".txt"):
			shutil.move(os.path.join(folder, filename), os.path.join(folder, "Text_Files", filename))
		elif filename.endswith(".jpg"):
			shutil.move(os.path.join(folder, filename), os.path.join(folder, "Images", filename))

			
organize_files("downloads")

This script organizes files in a folder into Text_Files and Images directories.

🛠 Task for You

1. Create a script that:
   • Scans a directory
   • Moves .pdf files into PDFs/
   • Moves .csv files into CSVs/
   • Deletes any .tmp files

Best Practices

• Always check if a file/folder exists before modifying
• Use with open(...) when reading/writing files
• Avoid hardcoding paths – use os.path.join() for cross-platform compatibility
• Be cautious with shutil.rmtree() as it deletes permanently

Summary