What is the Python os module?

Python provides an os module for interacting with the operating system. This module comes under Python’s standard utility module. All functions in the os module raise OSError in the case of invalid or inaccessible file names and paths, or other arguments that have the correct type but are not accepted by the operating system.

In this article, we will cover How to Get and Change the Working Directory in Python. While working with file handling you might have noticed that files are referenced only by their names, e.g. ‘GFG.txt’ and if the file is not located in the directory of the script, Python raises an error. The concept of the Current Working Directory (CWD) becomes important here. Consider the CWD as the folder, the Python is operating inside. Whenever the files are called only by their name, Python assumes that it starts in the CWD which means that a name-only reference will be successful only if the file is in Python’s CWD.

Note: The folder where the Python script is running is known as the Current Directory. This may not be the path where the Python script is located.