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Removing Directories in Python

Remove Empty Directories in Python

To remove an empty directory, you can use os.rmdir() with os and Path.rmdir() with pathlib.

import os

directory_path = '/path/to/empty_directory'

try:
    os.rmdir(directory_path)
    print(f"The directory '{directory_path}' has been successfully removed.")
except OSError as e:
    print(f"Error: {directory_path} : {e.strerror}")

from pathlib import Path

directory_path = Path('/path/to/empty_directory')

try:
    directory_path.rmdir()
    print(f"The directory '{directory_path}' has been successfully removed.")
except OSError as e:
    print(f"Error: {directory_path} : {e.strerror}")

Remove Non-Empty Directories in Python

For directories that contain files or other directories, use shutil.rmtree() to remove them along with their contents.

import shutil

directory_path = '/path/to/non_empty_directory'

try:
    shutil.rmtree(directory_path)
    print(f"The directory '{directory_path}' and its contents have been successfully removed.")
except OSError as e:
    print(f"Error: {directory_path} : {e.strerror}")

from pathlib import Path
import shutil

directory_path = Path('/path/to/non_empty_directory')

try:
    shutil.rmtree(directory_path)
    print(f"The directory '{directory_path}' and its contents have been successfully removed.")
except OSError as e:
    print(f"Error: {directory_path} : {e.strerror}")

Ensure to confirm the directory paths before removal operations to prevent accidental deletion of important data. When using shutil.rmtree(), exercise caution as it permanently deletes directories and their contents. The choice between os and pathlib can depend on your preference for object-oriented or procedural-style programming when handling paths and directories in Python.