# How to check if a file exists in Node.js

By Atta Ur Rehman Shah (https://attacomsian.com/about). Published Sep 1, 2019, updated Oct 1, 2022. Topics: Node.js.
Canonical URL: https://attacomsian.com/blog/how-to-check-if-a-file-exists-in-nodejs

> Learn how to check if a file exists in the local file system using Node.js FS module.

The simplest way to check if a file exists in the file system is by using the [fs module](how-to-check-if-a-file-exists-in-nodejs)'s `fs.existsSync()` method. It returns `true` if the path exists, `false` otherwise:

```javascript
const fs = require('fs')

try {
  if (fs.existsSync('file.txt')) {
    console.log('The file exists.')
  } else {
    console.log('The file does not exist.')
  }
} catch (err) {
  console.error(err)
}
```

This method is synchronous and will block the execution until the operation is completed.

## `fs.access()` Method

If you want to check if the file exists asynchronously, use the `fs.access()` method instead. It is the non-blocking way of checking the file's existence without opening it: 

```javascript
const fs = require('fs')

fs.access('file.txt', err => {
  if (err) {
    console.log('The file does not exist.')
  } else {
    console.log('The file exists.')
  }
})
```

The `fs.access()` method takes three arguments:

1. `path` — The file or directory path for testing the user's permissions.
2. `mode` — An optional integer specifying the accessibility check to be performed. The default value is `fs.constants.F_OK`
3. `callback` — The callback function invoked with a possible error object in case any accessibility checks fail.

In addition to checking the file's existence, you can even use the `fs.access()` method to check if the file is readable or writable by passing different [File Access Constants](https://nodejs.org/api/fs.html#fs_file_access_constants): 

```javascript
const fs = require('fs')

const file = 'file.txt'

// check if the file exists in the current directory.
fs.access(file, fs.constants.F_OK, err => {
  console.log(`${file} ${err ? 'does not exist' : 'exists'}`)
})

// check if the file is readable.
fs.access(file, fs.constants.R_OK, err => {
  console.log(`${file} ${err ? 'is not readable' : 'is readable'}`)
})

// check if the file is writable.
fs.access(file, fs.constants.W_OK, err => {
  console.log(`${file} ${err ? 'is not writable' : 'is writable'}`)
})

// Check if the file exists in the current directory, and if it is readable.
fs.access(file, fs.constants.F_OK | fs.constants.R_OK, err => {
  if (err) {
    console.error(`${file} ${err.code === 'ENOENT' ? 'does not exist' : 'is read-only'}`)
  } else {
    console.log(`${file} exists, and it is readable`)
  }
})
```

## `fs.accessSync()` Method

Similar to `fs.existsSync()` method, the `fs.accessSync()` method checks the file existence synchronously but without opening it:

```javascript
const fs = require('fs')

try {
  fs.accessSync('file.txt', fs.constants.F_OK)

  console.log('The file exists.')
} catch (err) {
  console.error(err)
}
```

**Read Next:** [Reading and Writing Files in Node.js](https://attacomsian.com/blog/reading-writing-files-nodejs)