How to Read a File in Python

Learn the simplest ways to open and read a file in Python. This page focuses on reading text files safely, understanding what each method returns, and avoiding common beginner mistakes.

Quick answer #

with open("example.txt", "r") as file:
    content = file.read()

print(content)

Use with open(...) so Python closes the file automatically after reading.

What this page helps you do #

Open a text file
Read the whole file at once
Read one line at a time
Choose the right reading method
Avoid common file-reading errors

The simplest way to read a file #

The most common way to read a text file in Python is:

with open("example.txt", "r") as file:
    content = file.read()

print(content)

How this works #

open("example.txt", "r") opens the file in read mode
with ... as file: makes sure the file is closed automatically
file.read() reads the entire file and returns it as one string

When to use this #

This is a good choice for small text files when you want all content at once.

For a deeper explanation of open(), see Python open() function explained.

Understand the main reading methods #

Python gives you a few main ways to read from a file.

`file.read()` #

read() returns the entire file as one string.

with open("example.txt", "r") as file:
    content = file.read()

print(content)
print(type(content))

Possible output:

Hello
World
<class 'str'>

Use this when:

The file is small
You want the complete contents at once

`file.readline()` #

readline() returns one line from the file each time you call it.

with open("example.txt", "r") as file:
    first_line = file.readline()
    second_line = file.readline()

print(first_line)
print(second_line)

If the file contains:

Apple
Banana
Cherry

Then the variables will contain:

first_line → "Apple\n"
second_line → "Banana\n"

Notice the \n at the end. That is the newline character.

`file.readlines()` #

readlines() returns a list of all lines.

with open("example.txt", "r") as file:
    lines = file.readlines()

print(lines)

Possible output:

['Apple\n', 'Banana\n', 'Cherry\n']

Use this only if you specifically need a list of lines.

Looping over the file #

Looping over the file is often the best choice for larger files.

with open("example.txt", "r") as file:
    for line in file:
        print(line.strip())

This reads one line at a time instead of loading the whole file into memory.

How to read a file line by line #

A for loop is usually the simplest way to read a file line by line.

with open("example.txt", "r") as file:
    for line in file:
        print(line)

Why this is useful #

It works well for larger files
It is easy to read
It avoids loading the whole file at once

About the newline character #

Each line usually ends with \n. That means print(line) may leave extra blank lines in the output.

To remove the newline, use strip():

with open("example.txt", "r") as file:
    for line in file:
        print(line.strip())

If you want to understand strip() better, see Python string strip() method.

For a full line-by-line guide, see how to read a file line by line in Python.

How file paths affect reading #

The path you give to open() matters.

Relative path #

A relative path depends on your current working folder.

with open("example.txt", "r") as file:
    print(file.read())

This works only if example.txt is in the current working directory.

Absolute path #

An absolute path gives the full location of the file.

with open("/home/user/example.txt", "r") as file:
    print(file.read())

On Windows, it may look like this:

with open(r"C:\Users\YourName\example.txt", "r") as file:
    print(file.read())

If the path is wrong #

If the file name, folder, or extension is wrong, Python raises FileNotFoundError.

To learn more, see working with file paths in Python and how to check if a file exists in Python.

What the read mode means #

When you write:

open("example.txt", "r")

the "r" means:

Open the file for reading
Read it as text
The file must already exist

This page focuses on text files. If you are learning the basics of file handling more broadly, see Python file handling basics.

Common beginner mistakes #

Here are some common problems when reading files:

Using the wrong file path
Trying to read a file that does not exist
Forgetting that read() returns a string
Reading once and expecting the cursor to reset automatically
Using readlines() when a simple loop would be easier

Example: `read()` returns a string #

with open("example.txt", "r") as file:
    content = file.read()

print(content.upper())

This works because content is a string.

Example: the file position does not reset automatically #

with open("example.txt", "r") as file:
    first = file.read()
    second = file.read()

print("First read:", first)
print("Second read:", second)

The second read() usually returns an empty string because the file cursor is already at the end.

Basic debugging steps #

If file reading does not work, try these checks:

Print the file path you are trying to open
Check your current working directory
Confirm the file really exists
Read a small test file first
Watch the exact error message

Useful commands:

print(open("example.txt", "r").read())

import os
print(os.getcwd())

import os
print(os.path.exists("example.txt"))

Common causes include:

Misspelled file name
Wrong folder or relative path
Trying to open a missing file
Confusing text files with CSV or JSON-specific tasks
Using the file after it has already been closed

If Python says the file does not exist, read FileNotFoundError: No such file or directory fix.

FAQ #

What is the easiest way to read a file in Python? #

Use with open("file.txt", "r") as file: and then call file.read().

How do I read a file one line at a time? #

Open the file with with open(...) as file: and loop with for line in file:.

Why does Python say `FileNotFoundError`? #

Python cannot find the file at the path you gave. Check the file name, folder, and current working directory.

Should I use `read()` or `readlines()`? #

Use read() for the whole file as one string. Use a loop for line-by-line reading. Use readlines() only when you specifically need a list of all lines.