In this article, we will cover How to extract file extensions using Python.
How to Get File Extension in Python?
Get File Extension in Python we can use either of the two different approaches discussed below:
- Use the os.path Module to Extract Extension From File in Python
- Use the pathlib Module to Extract Extension From File in Python
Method 1: Using Python os module splitext() function
This function splitext() splits the file path string into the file name and file extension into a pair of root and extension such that when both are added then we can retrieve the file path again (file_name + extension = path). This function is preferred use when the OS module is being used already.
Python3
import os # this will return a tuple of root and extension split_tup = os.path.splitext( 'my_file.txt' ) print (split_tup) # extract the file name and extension file_name = split_tup[ 0 ] file_extension = split_tup[ 1 ] print ( "File Name: " , file_name) print ( "File Extension: " , file_extension) |
Output:
('my_file', '.txt')
File Name: my_file
File Extension: .txt
Method 2: Using Pathlib module
The pathlib.Path().suffix method of the Pathlib module can be used to extract the extension of the file path. This method is preferred for an object-oriented approach.
Python3
import pathlib # function to return the file extension file_extension = pathlib.Path( 'my_file.txt' ).suffix print ( "File Extension: " , file_extension) |
Output:
File Extension: .txt