Difference between w and w+ in open()

The ‘w’ is for write-only mode, and ‘w+’ is for both write and read mode. Use ‘w+’ if you need to both write and read data from the file, while ‘w’ is for writing data and overwriting the file’s contents.

Write a file in Python with ‘w’

It opens the file for writing. If the file exists, it truncates (clears) its content. If the file doesn’t exist, Python creates a new, empty file. Reading from the file is not allowed in this mode.

Python3

with open('example.txt', 'w') as file:
    file.write('This will overwrite existing content')

Output:

Write and Read Mode in Python with ‘w+’

In ‘w+’ mode, the file is opened for both reading and writing, existing content is cleared, a new empty file is created if it doesn’t exist, and the file pointer is positioned at the beginning.

Python3

with open('example.txt', 'w+') as file:
    file.write('This will overwrite existing content')
    file.seek(0)  # Move the pointer to the beginning
    content = file.read()
    print(content)

Output:

Difference between modes a, a+, w, w+, and r+ in built-in open function?

Understanding the file modes in Python’s open() function is essential for working with files effectively. Depending on your needs, you can choose between ‘a’, ‘a+’, ‘w’, ‘w+’, and ‘r+’ modes to read, write, or append data to files while handling files. In this article, we’ll explore these modes and their use cases.