os.makedirs

Q: What is the difference between os.mkdir and os.makedirs?

mkdir creates exactly one folder and needs its parent to exist. makedirs creates every missing folder along the path, like mkdir -p, and has exist_ok.

Q: How do I delete a non-empty folder?

os.rmdir and os.removedirs only delete empty folders (they raise OSError otherwise). Use shutil.rmtree(path).

Q: Why does makedirs raise FileExistsError even with exist_ok=True?

Because something that is not a folder — usually a file — already has that name. exist_ok only accepts an existing directory.

os.makedirs(path, exist_ok=True) is 'mkdir -p': it creates every missing level and is happy if the folder already exists. os.mkdir creates exactly one level and fails if the parent is missing or the name is taken. To delete, rmdir removes one empty folder and removedirs also prunes the parents that become empty.

os functionPython 3.0+ (exist_ok 3.2+)Live demo

Common call

os.makedirs('build/reports', exist_ok=True)

Returns

None

Replaces

if not os.path.exists(p): os.mkdir(p) — and recursive mkdir code

Watch out

exist_ok=True still raises if the name exists as a file

os.makedirs(namename — The folder to create (makedirs: with all its parents).type: str | PathLike · required, modemode — Permission bits, reduced by the umask. Since 3.7 makedirs applies it only to the last folder; parents get the default.type: int · default: 0o777=0o777, exist_okexist_ok — makedirs only: True means "no error if the folder already exists" — but a file of that name still raises FileExistsError.type: bool · default: False=False) / os.mkdir(path, modemode — Permission bits, reduced by the umask. Since 3.7 makedirs applies it only to the last folder; parents get the default.type: int · default: 0o777=0o777, *, dir_fd=None) / os.rmdir(path) / os.removedirs(name)

→ None

Demo

Live evaluation

Create some folders first, then try os.mkdir on one path.

Try:

Inputs

existinglist[str]folders that already exist

pathstrfolder to create

Code

import os
for d in ['logs']:
    os.makedirs(d)
try:
    os.mkdir('logs/2026')
    result = 'created'
except OSError as e:
    result = type(e).__name__
result

Result

'created'

mkdir fails with FileExistsError when the name is taken and FileNotFoundError when a parent is missing — makedirs creates the parents. Without exist_ok, makedirs also raises FileExistsError for an existing folder; with exist_ok=True the second call is silent. removedirs deletes a/b/c, then tries b, then a, and stops quietly at the first folder that is not empty (a still holds keep.txt). The class names are the same on every OS; the error messages differ ("[Errno 17] File exists" on Linux, "[WinError 183] …" on Windows).

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
name	str \| PathLike	yes	The folder to create (makedirs: with all its parents).
mode	int	no (0o777)	Permission bits, reduced by the umask. Since 3.7 makedirs applies it only to the last folder; parents get the default.
exist_ok	bool	no (False)	makedirs only: True means "no error if the folder already exists" — but a file of that name still raises FileExistsError.

Return value

None — All four change the file system and return None, or raise an OSError subclass.

Common patterns

Ensure an output folder

Idempotent, no race between check and create.

import os
os.makedirs(os.path.join('out', 'reports'), exist_ok=True)

Ensure the folder for a file

dirname is '' for a bare file name — guard it.

import os
folder = os.path.dirname(target)
if folder:
    os.makedirs(folder, exist_ok=True)

Create only if new (claim a name)

mkdir is atomic: exactly one process wins.

import os
try:
    os.mkdir('lockdir')
except FileExistsError:
    print('someone else is running')

Remove a folder with contents

rmdir and removedirs refuse non-empty folders; shutil does the whole tree.

import shutil
shutil.rmtree('build', ignore_errors=True)

Examples

1. makedirs creates the whole chain

import os os.makedirs('a/b/c') os.path.isdir('a/b/c')

Returns

True

2. exist_ok=True: a second call is fine

import os os.makedirs('logs', exist_ok=True) os.makedirs('logs', exist_ok=True) os.listdir('.')

Returns

['logs']

3. mkdir needs the parent

import os try: os.mkdir('x/y') except OSError as e: result = type(e).__name__ result

Returns

'FileNotFoundError'

4. Existing folder without exist_ok

import os os.mkdir('data') try: os.makedirs('data') except FileExistsError as e: result = (type(e).__name__, e.errno) result

Returns

('FileExistsError', 17)

5. rmdir only removes empty folders

import os os.makedirs('d/sub') try: os.rmdir('d') except OSError as e: result = type(e).__name__ result

Returns

'OSError'

6. removedirs prunes empty parents

import os os.makedirs('a/b/c') os.removedirs('a/b/c') os.listdir('.')

Returns

[]

7. A trailing slash is fine

import os os.makedirs('out/reports/', exist_ok=True) os.path.isdir('out/reports')

Returns

True

Pitfalls

1. exist_ok does not cover a file with that name

exist_ok only forgives an existing folder. If a file has the name, makedirs still raises FileExistsError.

name taken by a file

import os
open('output', 'w').close()
try:
    os.makedirs('output', exist_ok=True)
except OSError as e:
    result = type(e).__name__
result

'FileExistsError'

check what is there

import os
open('output', 'w').close()
if os.path.isfile('output'):
    os.replace('output', 'output.old')
os.makedirs('output', exist_ok=True)
os.path.isdir('output')

True

2. Using mkdir for nested folders

mkdir creates one level only.

mkdir('a/b/c')

import os
try:
    os.mkdir('a/b/c')
except OSError as e:
    result = type(e).__name__
result

'FileNotFoundError'

makedirs('a/b/c')

import os
os.makedirs('a/b/c')
os.path.isdir('a/b/c')

True

3. Calling makedirs on a bare file name's folder

os.path.dirname('report.txt') is '', and makedirs('') raises FileNotFoundError. Use 'or "."' or skip the call.

makedirs('')

import os
try:
    os.makedirs(os.path.dirname('report.txt'), exist_ok=True)
except OSError as e:
    result = type(e).__name__
result

'FileNotFoundError'

or '.'

import os
os.makedirs(os.path.dirname('report.txt') or '.', exist_ok=True)
os.path.isdir('.')

True

When to use

Use it

Making sure a folder exists before writing into it (makedirs, exist_ok=True)
Atomically claiming a name (mkdir raises if it exists)
Removing empty folders (rmdir, removedirs)

Reach for something else

Deleting non-empty folders → shutil.rmtree
Temporary folders → tempfile.TemporaryDirectory / mkdtemp
Object paths → Path.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)

Notes

CPython impl

mkdir and rmdir are C calls (Modules/posixmodule.c); makedirs and removedirs are short pure-Python functions in Lib/os.py built on split, exists, mkdir and rmdir

mode

Ignored on Windows, apart from mode 0o700, which since 3.13 limits access to the current user and administrators. On POSIX the umask is masked out first

exist_ok

Added in 3.2; since 3.4.1 makedirs no longer raises when mode differs from the existing folder

removedirs

Errors while pruning parents are ignored — they simply mean the parent was not empty

FAQ

How do I create a directory only if it does not exist? ▾

os.makedirs(path, exist_ok=True). It creates any missing parents too, and it avoids the race of checking os.path.exists first.

What is the difference between os.mkdir and os.makedirs? ▾

How do I delete a non-empty folder? ▾

Why does makedirs raise FileExistsError even with exist_ok=True? ▾

os.makedirs

Demo

Parameters

Return value

Common patterns

Examples

Pitfalls

When to use

Notes

Related

FAQ