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with open("example.txt", "w", encoding="utf-8") as file:
file.write("Hello, world!n")Mode "w" creates the file if it is missing, but it also truncates the file if it already exists. Choose a different mode if you need to preserve existing content or refuse to overwrite it.
Choose what should happen if the file already exists
| Mode | If the file is missing | If the file exists |
|---|---|---|
"w" |
Creates it | Truncates it before writing |
"a" |
Creates it | Appends new content |
"x" |
Creates it | Raises FileExistsError |
"r" |
Does not create it; opening a missing file raises an error | Opens it for reading |
These are standard open() mode behaviors described in the Python built-in open() reference.
Create or overwrite with "w"
Use "w" when replacing the file’s contents is intended. The context manager closes the file when the block ends:
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with open("example.txt", "w", encoding="utf-8") as file:
file.write("New contentsn")Create or append with "a"
Use "a" to preserve existing content and add data at the end. It also creates the file when it is absent:
with open("example.txt", "a", encoding="utf-8") as file:
file.write("Another linen")Create only if absent with "x"
Use "x" when an existing file should be treated as a collision rather than overwritten. Handle FileExistsError if that is an expected outcome for your program:
try:
with open("example.txt", "x", encoding="utf-8") as file:
file.write("Created only if absentn")
except FileExistsError:
print("The file already exists")Use pathlib for concise text writes or empty files
For a one-call text write, Path.write_text() is concise and manages opening and closing the file for you:
from pathlib import Path
Path("example.txt").write_text("Hello, world!n", encoding="utf-8")This writes the text to the path, creating a missing file; like write mode, it replaces existing contents. For an explicit file-object workflow, use Path.open():
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path = Path("example.txt")
with path.open("w", encoding="utf-8") as file:
file.write("Hello, world!n")To create an empty file, use Path.touch(). By default, exist_ok=True allows an existing path and updates its modification time. Set exist_ok=False to raise FileExistsError if it already exists:
from pathlib import Path
Path("example.txt").touch(exist_ok=False)See the Python pathlib reference for these path methods.
Create missing parent directories first
Opening a file does not create missing directories in its path. Create the parent directories before writing:
from pathlib import Path
path = Path("output/reports/example.txt")
path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
path.write_text("Reportn", encoding="utf-8")parents=True creates missing directory levels, while exist_ok=True avoids an error if the target directory already exists. The Python pathlib documentation describes mkdir() and its options.
Mind the path, encoding, and errors
- Encoding: In text mode, omitting
encodinguses the platform’s locale encoding. Specifyencoding="utf-8"when you need consistent text encoding across machines, as documented in theopen()reference. - Relative paths: A path such as
example.txtis resolved from the process’s current working directory, which may differ from the directory containing your script. - Failures: Opening a file can raise
OSError, for example when the path is inaccessible or permissions prevent access. Catch it when your application has a meaningful recovery action; do not assume the write succeeded.
The Python tutorial’s file I/O section also demonstrates writing files with a context manager.
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