Discover How to Get the Current Directory in Python

One of the most powerful features of Python is its ability to provide you with information about the current Directory. This makes it easy to know where everything is in your program at any given time.

To get this information, just type the following command: Python -c “import os; print(os.getcwd())”

Current Working Directory

The current working Directory is a special location in computer files. It contains the path to your Python script. You can use the Python directory() function to get the current working directory of your Python scripts.

Absolute and Relative Paths

An absolute path is one which provides you with the location of a file concerning the root directory.

On the other hand, the relative path takes into account the current Directory. There is no need to specify the root directory location here.

While specifying the relative path, a single dot (.) means the current Directory, while a double dot(..) means parent directory.

Getting Directory in Shell

The process of getting the current working Directory is as follows:

1) Open a new file or create a blank one.

2) Type in your Python code and save it with the .py extension.

3) Run the following command from a command prompt: cwd()

Getting a Directory in Python Program

Sometimes, you might want to check the current Directory in your Python program or get the current working directory for a project or script. Here are some ways to do that. os.getcwd() and os.chdir() are widely known functions to achieve our result.

Using os Module to get the current Directory

Various methods in the os module will help you get the desired results.

1. Using os.getcwd()

getcwd means get a current working directory and it is a part of the os module. Hence, you need to import this module before using the function. This function will provide you with the path of the file. The absolute path is the output in string format.

import os
path = os.getcwd()
print(path)

2. Using os.chdir()

If you wish to change the Directory, opt for this function. This function has a path as its argument. Hence, you need to specify the new path to transfer your file contents. chdir means change directory.

os.chdir('../')
print(os.getcwd())

3. Using os.path

Here, you can get the directory name from the provided path. You need to use the file path as an argument here. Using the file path, the function will provide a directory name.

dir_name = os.path.dirname(filepath)
print(dir_name)

4. Get a full path to the Directory

In this method, you can easily remove or get rid of symbolic links ( any shortcuts to directory location.) Output is of string data type.

import os 
dir_path = os.path.dirname(os.path.realpath(__file__))

Using Path Module to get Current Working Directory

The Path module is the newest addition to the list of methods used to get the current working directory in Python. It will easily provide you with the path of the Directory you’re currently working in.

from pathlib import Path
print(Path.cwd())

Working with Mac/Windows

Mac uses forward slash, while Windows uses backslash while specifying paths of directories. With the pathlib functions, go for forward slashes. It will convert into the right format on its own.

Using .absolute() with pathlib

With this function, you will obtain the absolute path of cwd.

import pathlib
print(pathlib.Path().absolute())
#this will give the current working directory's absolute path

Using .resolve() with pathlib

Here, you just have to import pathlib and use the resolve() function. Through this,you will obtain the current directory location in Python.

pathlib.Path().resolve()
#make sure that you import pathlib at the #beginning of function call

Get the current Directory and join

Supposedly you have a file in the current working directory, and you need to add it to a certain folder, you can use the join() method. For this, get the location of the current Directory using getcwd() and post this, join the current directory path to the desired destination folder path. Observe this example:

import os
current = os.getcwd()
answer = os.path.join(cwd, "destination/folder")

Python glob get current Directory

glob is a Python module that provides us with a list of files that are situated in a directory. glob is used to match patterns too. Its syntax is as follows:

My_path = os.getcwd()+'\\My_dir\\*'
for file_path in glob.glob(My_path):
    print(file_path)
#this gives output as files with the related paths

Python get current Directory in Jupyter

Opt for pwd to check the current working directory in a Jupyter Notebook. os.getcwd() will also fetch the same result using the os module.

If you want to change the current Directory, enter:

os.chdir(' file_path ')

and verify using os.getcwd() again. You can check whether the Directory’s location has been changed or not.

Get current venv path

In case you wish to obtain the path of the virtual environment, use the VIRTUAL_ENV. You can apply this only if you have activated the entire setup. Import the os module first and then

print(os.environ['VIRTUAL_ENV'])

FAQs

What is the use of __file__ attribute?

It provides us with the absolute path of the file.

Are the path-finding methods the same for Mac users too?

In Windows, we use backslash, but in Mac, we tend to use forward slash for directory traversal.

How can you implement the ‘shutil‘ module in Python for file traversal?

It has several methods like copy(), copy2(), etc, which aid in file traversal.

Conclusion

Python is an amazing language for learning how to program. It has a lot of great features, but one of the most useful is its ability to set the current working Directory. This is especially useful if you want to work on more than one file at a time. In this article, we covered the ways to get the current working directory.

Directory