Of course! Moving a folder in Python is a common task. The best and most modern way to do this is by using the shutil module, which is part of Python's standard library.

Here’s a complete guide, from the simplest method to more advanced scenarios.

The Best Method: Using shutil.move()

The shutil.move() function is designed specifically for this. It's powerful because it handles both files and folders and works across different drives on Windows.

Key Features of shutil.move():

• Handles Folders: It can move an entire folder and all its contents.
• Cross-Platform: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
• Smart Copy-Delete: If the source and destination are on the same filesystem, it will perform a fast "rename" operation. If they are on different drives, it will copy the folder to the destination and then delete the original.

Basic Example: Moving a Folder to a New Location

Let's say you have a folder named my_project and you want to move it from the current directory into a directory called archive.

File Structure Before:

/my_project_folder
├── main.py
└── data/
    └── file.txt
/archive/

Code:

import shutil
import os
# Define the source and destination paths
# It's good practice to use os.path.join for cross-platform compatibility
source_folder = 'my_project'
destination_folder = os.path.join('archive', 'my_project_moved')
# Check if the source folder exists before moving
if os.path.exists(source_folder):
    print(f"Moving '{source_folder}' to '{destination_folder}'...")
    # The move function
    shutil.move(source_folder, destination_folder)
    print("Move complete!")
else:
    print(f"Error: The source folder '{source_folder}' does not exist.")

File Structure After:

/archive/
└── my_project_moved/
    ├── main.py
    └── data/
        └── file.txt

Notice that my_project is gone from its original location and now exists inside archive.

Handling a Destination Folder with the Same Name

What happens if the destination folder already exists? This is a very common scenario.

• If the destination is a directory: shutil.move() will merge the source folder into the destination. Any files with the same name will be overwritten.
• If the destination is a file: shutil.move() will raise an OSError.

Example: Merging Folders

Let's say you have two folders with the same name, reports, in different locations and you want to combine them.

File Structure Before:

/reports/
├── report_jan.txt
└── report_feb.txt
/archive/
└── reports/
    └── report_mar.txt

Code to Merge:

import shutil
source = 'reports'
destination = 'archive/reports' # The destination already exists
print(f"Moving contents of '{source}' into '{destination}'...")
shutil.move(source, destination)
print("Merge complete!")

File Structure After:

/archive/
└── reports/
    ├── report_jan.txt  (from original /reports)
    ├── report_feb.txt  (from original /reports)
    └── report_mar.txt  (was already there)

The original /reports folder is now empty (or gone, depending on the OS's handling of empty directories after a merge).

Advanced Scenarios

A. Moving a Folder and Overwriting if it Exists

If you want to ensure the destination folder is completely replaced by the source folder, you need to manually delete the destination first.

⚠️ Warning: This will permanently delete the destination folder and all its contents.

import shutil
import os
source = 'my_project'
destination = 'archive/my_project_moved'
# Check if destination exists and delete it
if os.path.exists(destination):
    print(f"Deleting existing destination folder: {destination}")
    # Use shutil.rmtree for directories
    shutil.rmtree(destination)
# Now, perform the move
print(f"Moving '{source}' to '{destination}'...")
shutil.move(source, destination)
print("Move and overwrite complete!")

B. Moving a Folder with Progress Bar (for large folders)

For very large folders, shutil.move() can seem to hang. You can provide feedback by using copytree with a callback and then deleting the source.

import shutil
import os
from tqdm import tqdm # You need to install this: pip install tqdm
def move_with_progress(src, dst):
    """Moves a folder with a progress bar."""
    # Use copytree with a progress callback
    def progress_callback(src_path, dst_path):
        # This callback is called for each file copied
        pass
    # shutil.copytree doesn't have a built-in progress bar, so we'll use tqdm
    # to manually track the total number of files.
    total_files = sum(len(files) for _, _, files in os.walk(src))
    with tqdm(total=total_files, unit='file', desc=f"Moving {os.path.basename(src)}") as pbar:
        for root, dirs, files in os.walk(src):
            for file in files:
                s = os.path.join(root, file)
                d = os.path.join(dst, os.path.relpath(s, src))
                os.makedirs(os.path.dirname(d), exist_ok=True)
                shutil.copy2(s, d) # copy2 preserves metadata
                pbar.update(1)
        # After copying everything, delete the original source
        shutil.rmtree(src)
    print("\nMove complete!")
# Example usage
source_folder = 'very_large_folder'
destination_folder = 'archive/very_large_folder'
if os.path.exists(source_folder):
    move_with_progress(source_folder, destination_folder)

Summary: shutil.move() vs. os.rename()

You might also see os.rename() used for this purpose. Here’s a quick comparison:

Final Recommendation: For 99% of cases where you need to "move" a folder in Python, use shutil.move(). It's the correct, safe, and portable tool for the job.