How to check if a directory exists in Windows?

@echo off
IF exist myDirName ( echo myDirName exists ) ELSE ( mkdir myDirName && echo myDirName created)

Added by Barlop

While the above works for this particular situation, the title says about testing specifically for a directory. Phogg's comment using if exist mydirname\ rather than if exist mydirname is the way. Some answers have used \nul but \nul is problematic in NT. Not including a trailing backslash will test for a file or a directory. So, for a directory, include the trailing backslash.

Here is what I just found out:

You can test if a nul file exists; if the directory exists it will contain a nul file, if the nul file does not exist then the directory does not exist.

IF exist myDirName/nul ( echo myDirName exists ) ELSE ( mkdir myDirName && echo myDirName created)

Use a backslash, not forward slash: myDirName\nul not myDirName/nul

md foo 
echo.>bar 
for %I in (foo bar xyz) do @( 
  if exist %I ( 
    if exist %I\nul ( 
      echo -- %I is a directory 
    ) else ( 
      echo -- %I is a file 
    ) 
  ) else ( 
    echo -- %I does not exist 
  ) 
)

-- foo is a directory
-- bar is a file
-- xyz does not exist

edit: this only works if directory name does not contain spaces

Some have suggested doing \nul, but that doesn't seem to work reliably in NT

C:\blah>md abc

C:\blah>if exist abc\nul echo yes
yes

C:\blah>if exist "abc\nul" echo yes

C:\blah>

http://www.dostips.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4913

foxidrive writes-

The trick with nul worked in pre NT versions of windows.

Now you would use this, with a trailing backslash.

if exist "C:\abcde\" echo the folder exists

Re the question

C:\blah>if exist "abcd\" (echo yes) else (echo no && mkdir abcd)
no

C:\blah>if exist "abcd\" (echo yes) else (echo no && mkdir abcd)
yes

C:\blah>

I wondered why joe had a downvote as I was experiencing the same kind of problem on Windows 7, namely that

IF EXIST filename\NUL

was returning TRUE for both files and directories. I found an alternative solution at www.robvanderwoude.com/battech_ifexistfolder.php and came up with a revised version of DVF's FOR loop:

FOR %I in (foo bar xyz) DO @( PUSHD %I && (POPD & echo -- %I is a directory) || ( IF exist %I ( echo -- %I is a file ) ELSE ( echo -- %I does not exist ) ) )

How to check if a directory exists in Windows?

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