How to Check if a File Exists in Python (3 Ways)?

Use pathlib.Path("data.txt").is_file() to check whether a regular file exists in Python. If you only care that something exists at the path (file or directory), use Path(...).exists() or os.path.exists().

Using pathlib (recommended)

from pathlib import Path

p = Path("data.txt")
if p.is_file():
    print("file exists")

exists() returns True for files and directories; is_file() and is_dir() narrow it down.

Using os.path

import os
os.path.isfile("data.txt")
os.path.exists("data.txt")

These work in every Python 3 version and accept strings.

Prefer try/except when you will open the file

Checking first and opening second leaves a race: the file can disappear in between. If you plan to read it, just try:

try:
    with open("data.txt") as f:
        text = f.read()
except FileNotFoundError:
    text = ""

Sources

• 01docs.python.org/3/library/pathlib.html
• 02docs.python.org/3/library/os.path.html