Python | os.path.splitdrive() method

Last Updated : 07 Jun, 2019

OS module in Python provides functions for interacting with the operating system. OS comes under Python’s standard utility modules. This module provides a portable way of using operating system dependent functionality. os.path module is a submodule of OS module in Python used for common pathname manipulation.

os.path.splitdrive() method in Python is used to Split the path name into a pair drive and tail. Here, drive is either a mount point or the empty string and rest path component is tail.

On systems which do not use drive specification, drive will always be an empty string. Example: UNIX.

On Windows, os.path.splitdrive() method splits a given path name into drive or UNC sharepoint as drive and other path component as tail.
For example:

     path name                         drive                  tail
On Windows
If path contains drive letter
C:\User\Documents\file.txt               C:           C:\User\Documents\file.txt

If the path contains UNC path 
\\host\computer\dir\file.txt       \\host\computer          \dir\file.txt

On Unix
/home/User/Documents/file.txt         {empty}        /home/User/Documents/file.txt

Syntax: os.path.splitdrive(path)

Parameter:
path: A path-like object representing a file system path. A path-like object is either a str or bytes object representing a path.

Return Type: This method returns a tuple that represents drive and tail of the given path name.

Code #1: Use of os.path.splitdrive() method (On Windows)

# Python program to explain os.path.splitdrive() method  
    
# importing os module  
import os 
  
# Path Containing a drive letter  
path = R"C:\User\Documents\file.txt"
  
# Split the path in  
# drive and tail pair 
drive_tail = os.path.splitdrive(path) 
  
# print drive and tail 
# of the given path 
print("Drive of path '%s:'" %path, drive_tail[0]) 
print("Tail of path '%s:'" %path, drive_tail[1], "\n") 
  
# Path representing a UNC path  
path = R"\\host\computer\dir\file.txt"
  
# Split the path in  
# drive and tail pair 
drive_tail = os.path.splitdrive(path) 
  
# print drive and tail 
# of the given path 
print("Drive of path '%s':" %path, drive_tail[0]) 
print("Tail of path '%s':" %path, drive_tail[1], "\n") 
  
# Path representing a relative path  
path = R"\dir\file.txt"
  
# Split the path in  
# drive and tail pair 
drive_tail = os.path.splitdrive(path) 
  
# print drive and tail 
# of the given path 
print("Drive of path '%s':" %path, drive_tail[0]) 
print("Tail of path '%s':" %path, drive_tail[1]) 

Output:

Drive of path 'C:\User\Documents\file.txt': C:
Tail of path 'C:\User\Documents\file.txt': \User\Documents\file.txt 

Drive of path '\\host\computer\dir\file.txt': \\host\computer 
Tail of path '\\host\computer\dir\file.txt': \dir\file.txt 

Drive of path '\dir\file.txt':  
Tail of path '\dir\file.txt': \dir\file.txt

Code #2: Use of os.path.splitdrive() method (On UNIX)

# Python program to explain os.path.splitdrive() method  
    
# importing os module  
import os 
  
# Path 
path = "/home/User/Documents/file.txt"
  
# Split the path in  
# drive and tail pair 
drive_tail = os.path.splitdrive(path) 
  
# print drive and tail 
# of the given path 
print("Drive of path '%s':" %path, drive_tail[0]) 
print("Tail of path '%s':" %path, drive_tail[1]) 
  
  
# os.path.splitdrive() method 
# will return drive as empty everytime 
# as UNIX do not use 
# drive specification 

Output:

Drive of path '/home/User/Documents/file.txt': 
Tail of path '/home/User/Documents/file.txt': /home/User/Documents/file.txt

Reference: https://docs.python.org/3/library/os.path.html

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