Python Get All Files from Directory Example

Hi Guys,

In this tutorial, we will explore how to retrieve all files from a directory using Python. You will learn different ways to list files, including recursive search through subdirectories. We will cover the use of Python's built-in "os" and "glob" modules to accomplish this task efficiently.

Whether you need to scan a single folder or search within subdirectories, this guide provides a step-by-step approach with clear examples. Let’s dive in!

Example 1: Get All Files from a Directory

This example demonstrates how to retrieve all files from a specific folder without searching subdirectories.

import glob  
  
fileList = glob.glob('files/*.*')  
  
print(fileList);

['files/test.txt', 'files/demo.png']

Example 2: Get All Files from Directory Recursively

If you need to list all files including those inside subdirectories, use the os.walk() function.

import os

# Define folder path
dirPath = 'files'

# List to store file names
res = []
for (root, dirs, files) in os.walk(dirPath):
    for file in files:
        res.append(os.path.join(root, file))
  
print(res)

['files/test.txt', 'files/demo.png', 'files/subfolder/demo.txt']

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

You can use the glob module to retrieve all files from a folder:

import glob
files = glob.glob('files/*.*')
print(files)

You can use os.walk() to retrieve files recursively:

import os
for root, dirs, files in os.walk('files'):
    for file in files:
        print(os.path.join(root, file))

Yes! You can use glob to filter specific file types:

import glob
files = glob.glob('files/*.txt')
print(files)

You can count files using len() with glob:

import glob
count = len(glob.glob('files/*.*'))
print(count)

Use os.listdir() to check if a directory contains files:

import os
if os.listdir('files'):
    print("Folder is not empty")
else:
    print("Folder is empty")

Hope this helps! Happy Pythonic Coding! 🚀