---
id: pathlib2
version: "2.3.7.post1"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: dormant
---

# pathlib2 — Object-oriented filesystem paths

License: permissive · Maintenance: dormant · Downloads: 4.4M/mo

## What it is and what it does

pathlib2 is a backport of Python's standard pathlib module, designed to bring modern path-handling APIs to older Python versions that predate pathlib's inclusion in the standard library. It provides an object-oriented interface for working with filesystem paths across platforms, replacing string-based path manipulation with a cleaner, more intuitive API. The package depends on six, scandir, and typing to maintain compatibility across Python 2.7 and early Python 3 releases.

The backport tracks the standard library's pathlib implementation, so features added to the standard module are eventually available through pathlib2 on older Python versions. However, it carries a known limitation: on Windows with Python 2.7, non-ASCII filename characters may be silently corrupted due to the platform's filesystem encoder having poor Unicode support. Development now occurs primarily in the Python standard library itself, making this package a maintenance-light compatibility shim rather than an actively developed project.

Use it for:

- Migrate legacy Python 2.7 codebases to use modern pathlib syntax before upgrading to Python 3.
- Maintain a single codebase across Python 2.7 and early Python 3.x versions using consistent path APIs.
- Use pathlib's object-oriented path interface in projects that must support Python 3.5 or 3.6.
- Backport pathlib features to environments where the standard library version is unavailable or outdated.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Backport of Python's standard pathlib module for older Python versions, providing object-oriented filesystem path manipulation.

No, unless you are maintaining legacy Python 2.7 or very early Python 3 code. Modern Python versions include pathlib in the standard library; use that instead. The package is stable and permissively licensed, but dormant maintenance and the availability of built-in pathlib make it unnecessary for new projects.

## Install

pip install pathlib2
uv add pathlib2
poetry add pathlib2

## Installing pathlib2

Before you install: Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel. Dormant maintenance status—last release was 2022-02-10 and last commit 2023-09-29—but the package is stable and tracks the standard library, so updates are infrequent by design.

License in practice: MIT license (permissive) allows use in commercial and open-source projects with minimal restrictions.

Quickstart:

pip install pathlib2

from pathlib2 import Path
p = Path('/home/user/file.txt')
print(p.exists())

Intended for Python 2.7 and early Python 3.x; modern Python versions include pathlib in the standard library and should use that instead.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package is still actively maintained or if it is effectively superseded by the standard library pathlib.
- Current compatibility with Python versions beyond 3.9 and whether the package is tested against modern releases.
- Whether the Windows Python 2.7 unicode filename issue (issue #56) remains unfixed and affects current users.

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: dormant
- Downloads: 4.4M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

pathlib backport, object-oriented file paths, filesystem path manipulation, python 2.7 pathlib, legacy python path handling, cross-platform path operations, pathlib older python versions, legacy-python, backport

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