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Python | os.remove() method

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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.

All functions in os module raise OSError in the case of invalid or inaccessible file names and paths, or other arguments that have the correct type, but are not accepted by the operating system.

os.remove() method in Python is used to remove or delete a file path. This method can not remove or delete a directory. If the specified path is a directory then OSError will be raised by the method. os.rmdir() can be used to remove directory.

Syntax: os.remove(path, *, dir_fd = None)

Parameter:
path: A path-like object representing a file path. A path-like object is either a string or bytes object representing a path.
dir_fd (optional) : A file descriptor referring to a directory. The default value of this parameter is None.
If the specified path is absolute then dir_fd is ignored.

Note: The ‘*’ in parameter list indicates that all following parameters (Here in our case ‘dir_fd’) are keyword-only parameters and they can be provided using their name, not as positional parameter.

Return Type: This method does not return any value.

Code #1: Use of os.remove() method to remove a file




# Python program to explain os.remove() method 
    
# importing os module 
import os
  
# File name
file = 'file.txt'
  
# File location
location = "/home/User/Documents"
  
# Path
path = os.path.join(location, file)
  
# Remove the file
# 'file.txt'
os.remove(path)
print("%s has been removed successfully" %file)


Output:

file.txt has been removed successfully
Code #2: If the specified path is a directory




# Python program to explain os.remove() method 
    
# importing os module 
import os
  
# Path
path = "/home/User/Documents/ihritik"
  
# Remove the specified
# file path
os.remove(path)
print("% s has been removed successfully" % file)
  
# if the specified path 
# is a directory then 
# 'IsADirectoryError' error
# will raised 
  
# Similarly if the specified
# file path does not exists or  
# is invalid then corresponding
# OSError will be raised


Output:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "osremove.py", line 11, in 
    os.remove(path)
IsADirectoryError: [Errno 21] Is a directory: '/home/User/Documents/ihritik'
Code #3: Handling error while using os.remove() method




# Python program to explain os.remove() method 
    
# importing os module 
import os
  
# path
path = '/home/User/Documents/ihritik'
  
# Remove the specified 
# file path
try:
    os.remove(path)
    print("% s removed successfully" % path)
except OSError as error:
    print(error)
    print("File path can not be removed")


Output:

[Errno 21] Is a directory: '/home/User/Documents/ihritik'
File path can not be removed

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



Last Updated : 29 May, 2019
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