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Use os.getcwd() to get Python’s current working directory as a string, or Path.cwd() to get it as a pathlib.Path object. Both report the process’s working directory; neither automatically returns the folder containing your script.

Get the current working directory

For a string result, call os.getcwd():

import os

current_directory = os.getcwd()
print(current_directory)

For a Path object, call Path.cwd():

from pathlib import Path

current_directory = Path.cwd()
print(current_directory)

Python documents Path.cwd() as returning a path object for the current directory “as returned by os.getcwd().” Both APIs identify the same process context; the difference is the result type. See the Python pathlib documentation and Python os documentation.

Choose the API that fits your code

Need Use Result
A plain string, such as for existing os-based code or an API that expects a string os.getcwd() str
A path object for joining paths and using pathlib methods Path.cwd() pathlib.Path

For new code already using pathlib, Path.cwd() keeps path composition in the same object-oriented style. For code that consumes strings or already uses os, os.getcwd() is a natural fit. The choice changes the returned type, not which directory is reported.

Understand what “current directory” means

The current working directory (cwd) belongs to the running process. Python uses it as the starting point when resolving relative paths. It is not necessarily the directory where the .py file is saved: the cwd can depend on how the program was started, such as from a terminal, IDE, notebook, test runner, or another program.

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For example, open("data.csv") and Path("data.csv") look for data.csv relative to the process’s cwd. They do not automatically look beside the script or relative to some other Path object. The pathlib documentation explains that relative paths are interpreted relative to the current working directory.

Build a path relative to the cwd

Use Path.cwd() as the base and join child directories or filenames with the / operator:

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from pathlib import Path

input_file = Path.cwd() / "data" / "input.csv"

Here, input_file is a Path representing data/input.csv under the process’s current working directory.

Find the directory containing a script instead

If you need the script’s location rather than the process cwd, derive it from __file__ in ordinary script execution:

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from pathlib import Path

script_directory = Path(__file__).resolve().parent

__file__ refers to the script file, so taking its parent gives the containing directory. This is a different question from asking where the process is currently working; do not substitute Path.cwd() when you need the script’s location.

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Diagnose a file being opened from the wrong folder

  1. Print the cwd with from pathlib import Path; print(Path.cwd()), or use os.getcwd() if your code needs a string.

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  2. Compare that directory with the location you expected the relative filename to use.

  3. If the file should be relative to the cwd, construct its path from Path.cwd(). If it should be relative to the script, construct it from Path(__file__).resolve().parent.

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