How can I create a directory if it does not exist using Python? (2024)

Python has built in file creation, writing, and reading capabilities. In Python, there are two sorts of files that can be handled: text files and binary files (written in binary language, 0s, and 1s). While you can create files you may delete them when you no longer need them.

It is simple to create directories programmatically, but you must ensure that they do not already exist. You'll have difficulties if you don't.

Example 1

In Python, use the os.path.exists() method to see if a directory already exists, and then use the os.makedirs() method to create it.

The built in Python method os.path.exists() is used to determine whether or not the supplied path exists. The os.path.exists() method produces a boolean value that is either True or False depending on whether or not the route exists.

Python's OS module includes functions for creating and removing directories (folders), retrieving their contents, altering and identifying the current directory, and more. To interface with the underlying operating system, you must first import the os module.

#python program to check if a directory existsimport ospath = "directory"# Check whether the specified path exists or notisExist = os.path.exists(path)#printing if the path exists or notprint(isExist)

Output

On executing the above program, the following output is generated.

TrueLet’s look at a scenario where the directory doesn’t exist.

Example 2

The built in Python method os.makedirs() is used to recursively build a directory.

#python program to check if a directory existsimport ospath = "pythonprog"# Check whether the specified path exists or notisExist = os.path.exists(path)if not isExist: # Create a new directory because it does not exist os.makedirs(path) print("The new directory is created!")

Output

On executing the above program, the following output is generated.

The new directory is created!

Example 3

To create a directory, first check if it already exists using os.path.exists(directory). Then you can create it using −

#python program to check if a path exists#if it doesn’t exist we create oneimport osif not os.path.exists('my_folder'): os.makedirs('my_folder')

Example 4

The pathlib module contains classes that represent filesystem paths and provide semantics for various operating systems. Pure paths, which give purely computational operations without I/O, and concrete paths, which inherit from pure pathways but additionally provide I/O operations, are the two types of path classes.

# python program to check if a path exists#if path doesn’t exist we create a new pathfrom pathlib import Path#creating a new directory called pythondirectoryPath("/my/pythondirectory").mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)

Example 5

# python program to check if a path exists#if path doesn’t exist we create a new pathimport ostry: os.makedirs("pythondirectory")except FileExistsError: # directory already exists pass