How to find all files in a directory with extension .txt in Python?

Searching for specific files in a directory is a common task that can be accomplished using different tools in Python.

In this article, we will see how to find all the files in a directory with extension .txt using Python. Here are different approaches, let's see each one in detail ?

Using os.listdir()

The os.listdir() function from Python's built-in os module returns a list of file and directory names in the given directory path.

Example

In this example, we use os.listdir() with list comprehension to filter files ending with ".txt" ?

import os

# Create a test directory structure
os.makedirs("test_dir", exist_ok=True)
with open("test_dir/file1.txt", "w") as f:
    f.write("Hello World")
with open("test_dir/file2.txt", "w") as f:
    f.write("Python Tutorial")
with open("test_dir/readme.md", "w") as f:
    f.write("# Documentation")

# Find all .txt files
directory = "test_dir"
txt_files = [file for file in os.listdir(directory) if file.endswith(".txt")]

print("Text files in the directory:", txt_files)

Text files in the directory: ['file1.txt', 'file2.txt']

Using os.scandir()

The os.scandir() is a more efficient alternative to os.listdir(), especially when you need file metadata or want to filter by file type.

Example

Here we use os.scandir() with the is_file() method to ensure we only get files, not directories ?

import os

# Using the same test directory from previous example
directory = "test_dir"
txt_files = [entry.name for entry in os.scandir(directory) 
             if entry.is_file() and entry.name.endswith(".txt")]

print("Text files in the directory:", txt_files)

Text files in the directory: ['file1.txt', 'file2.txt']

Recursive Search with os.walk()

The os.walk() function allows us to traverse a directory tree recursively, searching through all subdirectories.

Example

In this example, we use os.walk() to find .txt files in the directory and all subdirectories ?

import os

# Create nested directory structure
os.makedirs("test_dir/subdir", exist_ok=True)
with open("test_dir/subdir/nested.txt", "w") as f:
    f.write("Nested file")

directory = "test_dir"
txt_files = []

for root, dirs, files in os.walk(directory):
    for file in files:
        if file.endswith(".txt"):
            txt_files.append(os.path.join(root, file))

print("Text files found:")
for file in txt_files:
    print(file)

Text files found:
test_dir/file1.txt
test_dir/file2.txt
test_dir/subdir/nested.txt

Using pathlib.Path()

The pathlib.Path provides a modern object-oriented approach to work with filesystem paths. The rglob() method performs recursive pattern matching.

Example

In this example, we use Path.rglob() method for recursive search with pattern matching ?

from pathlib import Path

directory = Path("test_dir")
txt_files = list(directory.rglob("*.txt"))

print("Text files found:")
for file in txt_files:
    print(file)

Text files found:
test_dir/file1.txt
test_dir/file2.txt
test_dir/subdir/nested.txt

Using glob.glob()

The glob.glob() function finds pathnames matching a specified pattern according to Unix shell rules. It supports recursive searches with the ** wildcard.

Example

In this example, we use glob.glob() with recursive flag to search through all subdirectories ?

import glob

pattern = "test_dir/**/*.txt"
txt_files = glob.glob(pattern, recursive=True)

print("Text files found:")
for file in txt_files:
    print(file)

Text files found:
test_dir/file1.txt
test_dir/file2.txt
test_dir/subdir/nested.txt

Comparison

Conclusion

Python offers multiple powerful methods to find .txt files in directories. Use os.scandir() for single directories, pathlib.Path.rglob() for modern recursive searches, or glob.glob() for pattern matching across directory trees.