Delete an Empty Directory in Python

In Python, you can delete an empty directory using the os.rmdir() or pathlib.Path.rmdir() method. These methods ensure that the directory is removed only if it is empty; otherwise, an error will occur.

Examples to Delete an Empty Directory

1. Using os.rmdir() to Delete an Empty Directory

In this example, we will delete an empty directory empty_folder using the os.rmdir() method.

main.py

</>
Copy
import os

# Define the directory name
dir_name = "empty_folder"

# Remove the empty directory
os.rmdir(dir_name)

print(f"Directory '{dir_name}' deleted successfully.")

Explanation:

  1. We import the os module, which provides functions for interacting with the operating system.
  2. The variable dir_name stores the name of the directory we want to delete.
  3. We use os.rmdir(dir_name) to delete the empty directory.
  4. The program prints a confirmation message after the directory is deleted.

Output:

Directory 'empty_folder' deleted successfully.

2. Using pathlib.Path.rmdir() to Delete an Empty Directory

In this example, we will use the pathlib module, which provides an object-oriented approach to handling files and directories.

main.py

</>
Copy
from pathlib import Path

# Define the directory path
dir_path = Path("empty_folder")

# Remove the empty directory
dir_path.rmdir()

print(f"Directory '{dir_path}' deleted successfully.")

Explanation:

  1. We import Path from the pathlib module.
  2. The variable dir_path stores the directory path as a Path object.
  3. We delete the directory using dir_path.rmdir().
  4. The program prints a confirmation message once the directory is deleted.

Output:

Directory 'empty_folder' deleted successfully.

3. Handling Errors When Deleting a Non-Empty Directory

In this example, we attempt to delete a non-empty directory non_empty_folder to see how Python handles such cases. Replace the non_empty_folder with the directory name of yours.

main.py

</>
Copy
import os

# Define the directory name
dir_name = "non_empty_folder"

# Attempt to delete the directory
try:
    os.rmdir(dir_name)
    print(f"Directory '{dir_name}' deleted successfully.")
except OSError as e:
    print(f"Error: {e}")

Explanation:

  1. We define dir_name as “non_empty_folder”.
  2. We attempt to delete the directory using os.rmdir().
  3. Since the directory is not empty, an OSError is raised, which we catch and print the error message.

Output:

Error: [Errno 66] Directory not empty: 'non_empty_folder'

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we explored different ways to delete an empty directory in Python:

  1. Using os.rmdir(): Deletes an empty directory.
  2. Using pathlib.Path.rmdir(): Provides an object-oriented approach to deleting an empty directory.
  3. Handling Errors: If the directory is not empty, attempting to delete it using os.rmdir() will result in an error.

To delete a non-empty directory, consider using shutil.rmtree(), but be cautious as it will remove everything inside the directory permanently.