os.listdir() method - Python

Last Updated : 13 Jan, 2026

os.listdir() method in Python is used to list all files and directories in a specified directory. If no directory is provided, it returns the contents of the current working directory.

This code shows how to list all files and folders from a given directory path.

Python 
import os
path = "your_directory_path"
contents = os.listdir(path)
print("Directory contents:", contents)

Output

Output
Snapshot of the terminal

Explanation:

  • import os loads the operating system module.
  • os.listdir(path) reads all file and folder names from the given path.
  • contents stores the list of directory items.

Syntax

os.listdir(path='.')

Parameters: path (str, bytes or os.PathLike, optional) directory whose contents you want to list. Defaults to the current directory ('.') if not provided.

Returns: A list of strings, containing the names of files, directories, and links in the given directory.

Raises:

  • FileNotFoundError: if the specified path does not exist.
  • NotADirectoryError: if the specified path is not a directory.
  • PermissionError: if the program does not have permission to access the directory.

Examples

Example 1: This code displays all files and folders present in the current working directory.

Python 
import os
contents = os.listdir()
print("Current directory contents:", contents)

Output
Current directory contents: ['Solution.py', 'input.txt', 'output.txt', 'driver']

Explanation:

  • os.listdir() without a path uses the current folder.
  • All file and folder names from that directory are returned as a list.

Example 2: This code tries to read a directory that does not exist and handles the error.

Python 
import os
path = "C:/Invalid/Path"

try:
    print(os.listdir(path))
except OSError as e:
    print("Error:", e)

Output

Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: 'C:/Invalid/Path'

Explanation:

  • os.listdir(path) attempts to open the given directory.
  • If the folder does not exist, Python raises an error.
  • The try-except block catches the error and prints a friendly message.

Example 3: This code lists only files and ignores folders inside a directory.

Python 
import os
path = "your_directory_path"
files = [f for f in os.listdir(path) if os.path.isfile(os.path.join(path, f))]
print("Only files:", files)

Output

Output
Output

Explanation:

  • os.listdir(path) gets all items from the directory.
  • os.path.join() builds the full file path.
  • os.path.isfile() checks whether the item is a file.
  • Only file names are kept in the final list and printed.
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Article Tags:
Python
python-os-module

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