How to copy, move, rename, and delete files/folders using Python

How to copy, move, rename, and delete files/folders using Python

Python’s shutil and os modules are used for these tasks.

Copying Files/Folders:

• Use shutil.copy(src, dst) for copying files.
• Use shutil.copytree(src, dst) for copying entire folders.

Example:

import shutil
shutil.copy('source.txt', 'destination.txt')        # Copies file
shutil.copytree('source_folder', 'backup_folder')   # Copies entire folder

Moving/Renaming:

• Use shutil.move(src, dst) to move or rename files/folders.

shutil.move('old_name.txt', 'new_name.txt')         # Renames
shutil.move('file.txt', 'backup/file.txt')          # Moves file

Deleting:

• Use os.remove(path) to delete files.
• Use shutil.rmtree(path) to delete folders (recursively).

import os
os.remove('file.txt')
shutil.rmtree('folder_name')

These tools allow Python scripts to manage files like a basic file explorer.