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Python | os.path.join() method - GeeksforGeeks

Last Updated : 11 Jul, 2025

The os.path.join() method is a function in the os module that joins one or more path components intelligently. It constructs a full path by concatenating various components while automatically inserting the appropriate path separator (/ for Unix-based systems and \ for Windows).

Example

import os

# Example of using os.path.join
path = os.path.join("/home", "user", "documents", "/etc", "config.txt")
print(path)

Explanation: In this case, the presence of the absolute path "/etc" resets the earlier components, resulting in only the absolute path being displayed.

Syntax: os.path.join(path, *paths) 

Parameter: 

• path: A path-like object representing a file system path. 
• *path: A path-like object representing a file system path. It represents the path components to be joined. A path-like object is either a string or bytes object representing a path.
• Note: The special syntax *args (here *paths) in function definitions in python is used to pass a variable number of arguments to a function. 

Return Type: This method returns a string which represents the concatenated path components.

The os.path.join() method processes the path components and resolves them into a single, absolute path. It handles:

• Path Separators: It uses the correct path separator based on the operating system.
• Redundant Separators: It removes unnecessary separators and upholds a clean path structure.
• Absolute Paths: If an absolute path is provided at any level, it resets the previous components to that absolute path.

Below are some examples and use cases by which we can join file paths and handle file paths safely in Python OS.

import os

# Path 1
path = "/home"

# Join various path components
print(os.path.join(path, "User/Desktop", "file.txt"))

# Path 2
path = "User/Documents"

# Join various path components
print(os.path.join(path, "/home", "file.txt"))

# Path 3
path = "/User"

# Join various path components
print(os.path.join(path, "Downloads", "file.txt", "/home"))

/home/User/Desktop/file.txt
/home/file.txt
/home

Revised Explanation of the Code Outputs

• Path 1: This output is correct as the function constructs the path based on the provided components.
• Path 2: Here, "/home" is an absolute path. When an absolute path is included in the os.path.join() function, it resets the previous path ("User/Documents"), and the result reflects only the absolute path combined with the last component ("file.txt").
• Path 3: Again, the last component "/home" is treated as an absolute path, which resets the previous components. As a result, only "/home" remains in the output.

example.txt

GeeksforGeeks

import os

# Base directory and filename
base_dir = '/home/user'
filename = 'example.txt'

# Construct the full path
full_path = os.path.join(base_dir, filename)

# Reading and writing files using the full path
with open(full_path, 'r') as file:
    content = file.read()
    print(content)

Output:

GeeksforGeeks

Explanation: In this example, the os.path.join() method is utilized to form a complete file path by joining the base directory and the filename. The constructed path is then used to read the content of the file named example.txt.

import os

# Current working directory
current_dir = os.getcwd()

# List files in the current directory
files_in_dir = os.listdir(current_dir)

# Iterate over files and print their full paths
for file_name in files_in_dir:
    file_path = os.path.join(current_dir, file_name)
    print(file_path)

/home/guest/sandbox/input.txt
/home/guest/sandbox/driver
/home/guest/sandbox/Solution.py

Explanation: In this example, the `os.path.join()` method is employed to generate the full path for each file in the current working directory. The complete paths are then printed, allowing for a comprehensive listing of all files in the directory.

import os

# List of file names
names = ['file1.txt', 'file2.txt', 'file3.txt']

# Iterate over file names and process each file
for file_name in names:

    file_path = os.path.join('/home/user', file_name)
    print(f"Processing file: {file_path}")

Processing file: /home/user/file1.txt
Processing file: /home/user/file2.txt
Processing file: /home/user/file3.txt

Explanation: In this example, the `os.path.join()` method is utilized within a loop to dynamically create the full path for each file name listed. The constructed paths are then printed to indicate the processing of each respective file.

Understanding the os.path.join() method in Python

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