pathlib is the more modern way since Python 3.4. The documentation for pathlib says that "For low-level path manipulation on strings, you can also use the os.path module."

It doesn't make much difference for joining paths, but other path commands are more convenient with pathlib compared to os.path. For example, to get the "stem" (filename without extension):

os.path: splitext(basename(path))[0]

pathlib: path.stem

Also, you can use the same type of syntax (commas instead of slashes) to join paths with pathlib as well:

path_2 = Path("/home", "test", "test.txt")

Answer from wisbucky on Stack Overflow
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Python
docs.python.org › 3 › library › os.path.html
os.path — Common pathname manipulations
Trailing slashes are stripped from head unless it is the root (one or more slashes only). In all cases, join(head, tail) returns a path to the same location as path (but the strings may differ).
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GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › python › python-os-path-join-method
Python | os.path.join() method - GeeksforGeeks
The os.path.join() method is a function in the os module that joins one or more path components intelligently.
Published: July 11, 2025
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/learnpython › please help me understand os.path.join
r/learnpython on Reddit: Please help me understand os.path.join
December 12, 2021 -

Hello. I'm using windows and I want to make a new file in a directory if it doesn't exist yet.

I've read many people say that if you just use os.path.join() you don't have to worry about turning "\" into "/" manually. You don't have to worry about copying file names as paths. So i tried it because I want to do things not like an idiot, but the output of my os.path.join() still has "\". And it doesn't put a separator after "C:".

So what is the advantage of "~ just using os.path.join() like you're supposed to~"?

I understand that you can use .replace("\\","/") but what's the advantage of using os.path.join if I can just do that to a string? It seems like typing out the entire folder path in os.path.join is more work that copying and pasting it from your file window. Am i missing something?

Why can't I os.path.join() on a drive letter(C:)? Apr 30, 2020
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113

pathlib is the more modern way since Python 3.4. The documentation for pathlib says that "For low-level path manipulation on strings, you can also use the os.path module."

It doesn't make much difference for joining paths, but other path commands are more convenient with pathlib compared to os.path. For example, to get the "stem" (filename without extension):

os.path: splitext(basename(path))[0]

pathlib: path.stem

Also, you can use the same type of syntax (commas instead of slashes) to join paths with pathlib as well:

path_2 = Path("/home", "test", "test.txt")

2 of 3
4

os.path is string-based while pathlib is object oriented

os.path operates on strings while pathlib is object-oriented (the documentation at this link speaks about Object-oriented filesystem paths). So if "/home/test/test.txt" is the absolute path (in POSIX format) to access to the file test.txt in the directory /home/test/, the instructions:

from os import path

path_1 = path.join("/home", "test", "test.txt")

(executed in a Linux system) return in path_1, the string "/home/test/test.txt" (link to os.path.join() documentation.)

On the other hand, the following commands:

from pathlib import Path

path_2 = Path("/home") / "test" / "test.txt"

return an object called path_2 which represents the file.

A function and a method available with the 2 approaches

By the previous initialization, essentially:

  • The string path_1 can be used as argument of other functions of the module os.path. For example, to check if a file exists:

    from os import path
    
    if path.exists(path_1):
        # the file exists
        do stuff
    
  • The object path_2 is an instance of the class pathlib.Path, so with this object it is possible to call all methods of the class Path.

    Furthermore, if path_2 is created on a POSIX compliant system (such as Linux), its type is PosixPath (a subclass of Path), else if path_2 is created on a Windows system, its type is WindowsPath (a subclass of the class Path).

    An example of the methods available on the object path_2 is the exists() method. The snippet of code below shows how it is used:

    from pathlib import Path
    
    if path_2.exists():
        # the file exists
        do stuff
    

Link

See this article to learn about other differences between the two ways of managing paths with Python: Paths in Python: Comparing os.path and pathlib modules

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Career Karma
careerkarma.com › blog › python › python os.path.join: a beginner’s guide
Python os.path.join: A Beginner’s Guide | Career Karma
December 1, 2023 - os.path.join() automatically adds any required forward slashes into a file path name. You may have gotten caught up in a path labyrinth when you’re working with files in Python.
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Codecademy
codecademy.com › docs › python › os module › .join()
Python | os Module | .join() | Codecademy
May 29, 2025 - Using os.path.join() ensures cross-platform compatibility and properly handles separators, absolute paths, and other path-specific issues that manual string concatenation might not handle correctly. ... Looking for an introduction to the theory behind programming? Master Python while learning data structures, algorithms, and more!
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Switowski
switowski.com › blog › pathlib
Pathlib for Path Manipulations
July 17, 2023 - pathlib is an interesting, object-oriented take on the filesystem paths. With plenty of functions to create, delete, move, rename, read, write, find, or split files, pathlib is an excellent replacement for the os module. But is it faster?
Find elsewhere
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Tutorialspoint
tutorialspoint.com › python › os_path_join.htm
Python os.path.join() Method
The Python os.path.join() method is used to construct a path by joining one or more path components. The method takes multiple path components (strings) and joins them together with appropriate directory separators (/ or \) depending on the
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Scaler
scaler.com › home › topics › python os.path.join() method
Python os.path.join() Method - Scaler Topics
January 2, 2024 - os.path.join() is a function provided by the Python os module, which works with operating system-related tasks.
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Medium
medium.com › @ageitgey › python-3-quick-tip-the-easy-way-to-deal-with-file-paths-on-windows-mac-and-linux-11a072b58d5f
Python 3 Quick Tip: The easy way to deal with file paths on Windows, Mac and Linux | by Adam Geitgey | Medium
January 31, 2018 - If you want to add on to the path, you can use the / operator directly in your code. Say goodbye to typing out os.path.join(a, b) over and over. And if that’s all pathlib did, it would be a nice addition to Python — but it does a lot more!
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Read the Docs
python.readthedocs.io › fr › latest › library › os.path.html
11.2. os.path — Common pathname manipulations — documentation Python 3.7.0a0
The return value is the concatenation of path and any members of *paths with exactly one directory separator (os.sep) following each non-empty part except the last, meaning that the result will only end in a separator if the last part is empty. If a component is an absolute path, all previous components are thrown away and joining continues from the absolute path component.
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Python
docs.python.org › 3 › library › pathlib.html
pathlib — Object-oriented filesystem paths
The slash operator helps create child paths, like os.path.join(). If the argument is an absolute path, the previous path is ignored.
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Samy
samy.blog › rtfm
RTFM, and Python's os.path.join | Samy's blog
file_path = os.path.join("uploads", "static", file_name)
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Code.mu
code.mu › en › python › manual › fs › os › path › join
The path.join method of the os module - joining paths in Python
The path.join method of the os module joins paths or parts of paths specified in the method parameter in Python.
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Medium
medium.com › @ericlee_28099 › python-os-path-join-and-string-format-placeholder-22453b649e97
Python os.path.join and string format placeholder | by Eric Lee | Medium
June 7, 2022 - path3 = os.path.join('ghi','c:','file')path4 = os.path.join('jkl', '`:','file')print('path3:', path3)print('path4:', path4)
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PTC
ptc.com › en › careers
PTC Careers | Join Our Global Team | PTC
3 weeks ago - The PTC Bucharest office is our largest office in Europe—and continues to expand. We’re looking for ambitious people to join our dynamic, innovative, and energetic team.
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iO Flood
ioflood.com › blog › python-path
Python Path Libraries and Functions Guide
January 31, 2024 - In this example, we create Path objects for each part of the file path. We then use the / operator to join these parts together. This is a more intuitive and Pythonic way to join paths compared to os.path.join().
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Jython
jython.org › jython-old-sites › docs › library › os.path.html
10.1. os.path — Common pathname manipulations — Jython v2.5.2 documentation
The os.path module is always the path module suitable for the operating system Python is running on, and therefore usable for local paths. However, you can also import and use the individual modules if you want to manipulate a path that is always in one of the different formats. They all have the same interface: ... Return a normalized absolutized version of the pathname path. On most platforms, this is equivalent to normpath(join(os.getcwd(), path)).