Basics of File Handling in C
Last Updated :
02 Aug, 2025
File handling in C is the process in which we create, open, read, write, and close operations on a file. C language provides different functions such as fopen(), fwrite(), fread(), fseek(), fprintf(), etc. to perform input, output, and many different C file operations in our program.
C File Operations
C language provides the following different operations that we can perform on a file from our C program:
- Creating a new file.
- Opening an existing file.
- Reading from file.
- Writing to a file.
- Moving to a specific location in a file.
- Closing a file.
Open a File in C
For opening a file in C, the fopen() function is used with the filename or file path along with the required access modes.
Syntax:
C
FILE* fopen(*file_name, *access_mode);
Parameters
- file_name: name of the file when present in the same directory as the source file. Otherwise, full path.
- access_mode: Specifies for what operation the file is being opened.
Return Value
- If the file is opened successfully, returns a file pointer to it.
- If the file is not opened, then returns NULL.
File Opening Modes
File opening modes or access modes specify the allowed operations on the file to be opened. They are passed as an argument to the fopen() function. Some of the commonly used file access modes are listed below:
Opening Modes | Description |
---|
r | Searches file. If the file is opened successfully fopen( ) loads it into memory and sets up a pointer that points to the first character in it. If the file cannot be opened fopen( ) returns NULL. |
rb | Open for reading in binary mode. If the file does not exist, fopen( ) returns NULL. |
w | Open for writing in text mode. If the file exists, its contents are overwritten. If the file doesn’t exist, a new file is created. Returns NULL, if unable to open the file. |
wb | Open for writing in binary mode. If the file exists, its contents are overwritten. If the file does not exist, it will be created. |
a | Searches file. If the file is opened successfully fopen( ) loads it into memory and sets up a pointer that points to the last character in it. It opens only in the append mode. If the file doesn’t exist, a new file is created. Returns NULL, if unable to open the file. |
ab | Open for append in binary mode. Data is added to the end of the file. If the file does not exist, it will be created. |
r+ | Searches file. It is opened successfully fopen( ) loads it into memory and sets up a pointer that points to the first character in it. Returns NULL, if unable to open the file. |
rb+ | Open for both reading and writing in binary mode. If the file does not exist, fopen( ) returns NULL. |
w+ | Searches file. If the file exists, its contents are overwritten. If the file doesn’t exist a new file is created. Returns NULL, if unable to open the file. |
wb+ | Open for both reading and writing in binary mode. If the file exists, its contents are overwritten. If the file does not exist, it will be created. |
a+ | Searches file. If the file is opened successfully fopen( ) loads it into memory and sets up a pointer that points to the last character in it. It opens the file in both reading and append mode. If the file doesn’t exist, a new file is created. Returns NULL, if unable to open the file. |
ab+ | Open for both reading and appending in binary mode. If the file does not exist, it will be created. |
As given above, if you want to perform operations on a binary file, then you have to append 'b' at the last. For example, instead of “w”, you have to use “wb”, instead of “a+” you have to use “a+b”.
Example:
C
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
int main() {
// File pointer to store the
// value returned by fopen
FILE* fptr;
// Opening the file in read mode
fptr = fopen("filename.txt", "r");
// checking if the file is
// opened successfully
if (fptr == NULL) {
printf("The file is not opened.");
}
return 0;
}
OutputThe file is not opened.
The file is not opened because it does not exist in the source directory. But the fopen() function is also capable of creating a file if it does not exist.
Note: If is essential to check for NULL values that might be returned by the fopen() function to avoid any errors.
Create a File
The fopen() function can not only open a file but also can create a file if it does not exist already. For that, we have to use the modes that allow the creation of a file if not found such as w, w+, wb, wb+, a, a+, ab, and ab+.
Example:
C
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
int main() {
// File pointer
FILE* fptr;
// Creating file using fopen()
// with access mode "w"
fptr = fopen("file.txt", "w");
// checking if the file is created
if (fptr == NULL)
printf("The file is not opened.");
else
printf("The file is created Successfully.");
return 0;
}
OutputThe file is created Successfully.
File CreatedWrite to a File
The file write operations can be performed by the functions fprintf() and fputs(). C programming also provides some other functions that can be used to write data to a file such as:
Function | Description |
---|
fprintf() | Similar to printf(), this function uses formatted string and variable arguments list to print output to the file. |
fputs() | Prints the whole line in the file and a newline at the end. |
fputc() | Prints a single character into the file. |
fputw() | Prints a number to the file. |
fwrite() | This function writes the specified number of bytes to the binary file. |
Example:
C
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
int main() {
// File pointer
FILE* fptr;
// Get the data to be written in file
char data[50] = "GeeksforGeeks-A Computer "
"Science Portal for Geeks";
// Creating file using fopen()
// with access mode "w"
fptr = fopen("file.txt", "w");
// Checking if the file is created
if (fptr == NULL)
printf("The file is not opened.");
else{
printf("The file is now opened.\n");
fputs(data, fptr);
fputs("\n", fptr);
// Closing the file using fclose()
fclose(fptr);
printf("Data successfully written in file "
"file.txt\n");
printf("The file is now closed.");
}
return 0;
}
OutputThe file is now opened.
Data successfully written in file file.txt
The file is now closed.
Reading From a File
The file read operation in C can be performed using functions fscanf() or fgets(). Both the functions performed the same operations as that of scanf() and gets but with an additional parameter, the file pointer. There are also other functions we can use to read from a file. Such functions are listed below:
Function | Description |
---|
fscanf() | Use formatted string and variable arguments list to take input from a file. |
fgets() | Input the whole line from the file. |
fgetc() | Reads a single character from the file. |
fgetw() | Reads a number from a file. |
fread() | Reads the specified bytes of data from a binary file. |
Example:
C
#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
int main() {
FILE* fptr;
// Declare the character array
// for the data to be read from file
char data[50];
fptr = fopen("file.txt", "r");
if (fptr == NULL) {
printf("file.txt file failed to open.");
}
else {
printf("The file is now opened.\n");
// Read the data from the file
// using fgets() method
while (fgets(data, 50, fptr)
!= NULL) {
// Print the data
printf("%s", data);
}
// Closing the file using fclose()
fclose(fptr);
}
return 0;
}
Output
The file is now opened.
GeeksforGeeks-A Computer Science Portal for Geeks
The getc() and some other file reading functions return EOF (End Of File) when they reach the end of the file while reading. EOF indicates the end of the file, and its value is implementation-defined. Reading more after EOF results in undefined error so, it is always recommended to check for EOF while reading a file.
Note: One thing to note here is that after reading a particular part of the file, the file pointer will be automatically moved to the end of the last read character.
Closing a File
The fclose() function is used to close the file. After successful file operations, you must always close a file to remove it from the memory.
Syntax:
C
Move File Pointer
File pointer generally points to the position according to the mode or last read/write operation. We can manually move this pointer to any position in the file using fseek() function.
Syntax:
C
fseek(fptr, offset, pos);
where, pos is the position from where offset is counted and offset is the number of positions to shift from pos (it can be negative or positive).
Example:
While writing to a file opened in rw+ mode, the file pointer moves to the end of the file. In case where we want to replace a word, then first we have to move the file pointer to the position where that word starts.
C
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
int main() {
// File pointer
FILE* fptr;
// Get the data to be written in file
char data[50] = "GeeksforGeeks-A Computer "
"Science Portal for Geeks";
// Creating file using fopen()
// with access mode "w"
fptr = fopen("file.txt", "w");
// Checking if the file is created
if (fptr == NULL)
printf("The file is not opened.");
else{
printf("The file is now opened.\n");
fputs(data, fptr);
fputs("\n", fptr);
fseek(fptr, -6, SEEK_END);
fputs("GeeksforGeeks", fptr);
// Closing the file using fclose()
fclose(fptr);
printf("Data successfully written in file "
"file.txt\n");
printf("The file is now closed.");
}
return 0;
}
OutputThe file is now opened.
Data successfully written in file file.txt
The file is now closed.
Now, imagine you want to read this file after writing. We can use fseek() here too, but these is one more function specifically for this purpose which is rewind().
Read and Write in a Binary File
Till now, we have only discussed text file operations. The operations on a binary file are similar to text file operations with little difference.
Opening a Binary File
To open a file in binary mode, we use the rb, rb+, ab, ab+, wb, and wb+ access mode in the fopen() function. We also use the .bin file extension in the binary filename.
Example:
C
fptr = fopen("filename.bin", "rb");
Write to a Binary File
We use fwrite() function to write data to a binary file. The data is written to the binary file in the form of bits (0's and 1's).
Syntax of fwrite()
C
fwrite(ptr, size, nmemb, file_pointer);
Parameters:
- ptr: pointer to the block of memory to be written.
- size: size of each element to be written (in bytes).
- nmemb: number of elements.
- file_pointer: FILE pointer to the output file stream.
Return Value:
- Number of objects written.
Example: Program to write to a Binary file using fwrite()
C
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
struct threeNum {
int n1, n2, n3;
};
int main() {
int n =1 ;
// Structure variable declared.
struct threeNum num;
FILE* fptr;
fptr = fopen("binaryFile.bin", "wb");
int flag = 0;
num.n1 = n;
num.n2 = 5 * n;
num.n3 = 5 * n + 1;
// Write the Structure data
// to binary file.
flag = fwrite(&num, sizeof(struct threeNum), 1,
fptr);
// Checking if the data is written.
if (!flag)
printf("Write Operation Failure");
else
printf("Write Operation Successful");
fclose(fptr);
return 0;
}
OutputWrite Operation Successful
Data Written in Binary FileReading from Binary File
The fread() function can be used to read data from a binary file in C. The data is read from the file in the same form as it is stored i.e. binary form.
Syntax:
C
fread(ptr, size, nmemb, file_pointer);
Parameters:
- ptr: pointer to the block of memory to read.
- size: the size of each element to read (in bytes).
- nmemb: number of elements.
- file_pointer: FILE pointer to the input file stream.
Return Value:
Example: Program to Read from a binary file using fread()
C
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
// Structure that store
// binary file data
struct threeNum {
int n1, n2, n3;
};
int main() {
int n;
struct threeNum num;
FILE* fptr;
fptr = fopen("binaryFile.bin", "rb");
// Read the data from binary
// file and print that data
fread(&num, sizeof(struct threeNum), 1, fptr);
printf("n1: %d\tn2: %d\tn3: %d\n", num.n1, num.n2,
num.n3);
fclose(fptr);
return 0;
}
Output
n1: 1 n2: 5 n3: 6
More Functions for C File Operations
The following table lists some more functions that can be used to perform file operations or assist in performing them.
Functions | Description |
---|
fopen() | It is used to create a file or to open a file. |
fclose() | It is used to close a file. |
fgets() | It is used to read a file. |
fprintf() | It is used to write blocks of data into a file. |
fscanf() | It is used to read blocks of data from a file. |
getc() | It is used to read a single character to a file. |
putc() | It is used to write a single character to a file. |
fseek() | It is used to set the position of a file pointer to a mentioned location. |
ftell() | It is used to return the current position of a file pointer. |
rewind() | It is used to set the file pointer to the beginning of a file. |
putw() | It is used to write an integer to a file. |
getw() | It is used to read an integer from a file. |
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C FunctionsA function is a named block of code that performs a specific task. It allows you to write a piece of logic once and reuse it wherever needed in the program. This helps keep your code clean, organized, and easier to understand.Functions play a vital role in building modular programs. They allow you t
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User-Defined Function in CA user-defined function is a type of function in C language that is defined by the user himself to perform some specific task. It provides code reusability and modularity to our program. User-defined functions are different from built-in functions as their working is specified by the user and no hea
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Parameter Passing Techniques in CIn C, passing values to a function means providing data to the function when it is called so that the function can use or manipulate that data. Here:Formal Parameters: Variables used in parameter list in a function declaration/definition as placeholders. Also called only parameters.Actual Parameters
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Function Prototype in CIn C, a function prototype is a statement that tells the compiler about the functionâs name, its return type, numbers, and data types of its parameters. Function prototype provides a means for the compiler to cross-check function parameters and their data type with the function definition and the fu
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How can I return multiple values from a function?In C programming, a function can return only one value directly. However, C also provides several indirect methods in to return multiple values from a function. In this article, we will learn the different ways to return multiple values from a function in C.The most straightforward method to return
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main Function in CThe main function is the entry point of a C program. It is a user-defined function where the execution of a program starts. Every C program must contain, and its return value typically indicates the success or failure of the program. In this article, we will learn more about the main function in C.E
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Implicit Return Type int in CIn C, every function has a return type that indicates the type of value it will return, and it is defined at the time of function declaration or definition. But in C language, it is possible to define functions without mentioning the return type and by default, int is implicitly assumed that the ret
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Callbacks in CIn C language, a callback is a function that is passed as an argument to another code, which is expected to call back (execute) the argument at a given time. In simple terms, a callback is the process of passing a function (executable code) to another function as an argument, which is then called by
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Nested Functions in CNesting of functions refers to placing the definition of the function inside another functions. In C programming, nested functions are not allowed. We can only define a function globally.Example:C#include <stdio.h> int main() { void fun(){ printf("GeeksForGeeks"); } fun(); return 0; }Outputmai
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Variadic Functions in CIn C, variadic functions are functions that can take a variable number of arguments. This feature is useful when the number of arguments for a function is unknown. It takes one fixed argument and then any number of arguments can be passed.Let's take a look at an example:C#include <stdio.h> #in
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_Noreturn function specifier in CIn C, the _Noreturn specifier is used to indicate that a function does not return a value. It tells the compiler that the function will either exit the program or enter an infinite loop, so it will never return control to the calling function. This helps the compiler to optimize code and issue warni
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Predefined Identifier __func__ in CBefore we start discussing __func__, let us write some code snippets and anticipate the output: C // C program to demonstrate working of a // Predefined Identifier __func__ #include <stdio.h> int main() { // %s indicates that the program will read strings printf("%s", __func__); return 0; } Ou
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C Library math.h FunctionsThe math.h header defines various C mathematical functions and one macro. All the functions available in this library take double as an argument and return double as the result. Let us discuss some important C math functions one by one. C Math Functions1. double ceil (double x) The C library functio
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C Arrays & Strings
C ArraysAn array in C is a fixed-size collection of similar data items.Items are stored in contiguous memory locations. Can be used to store the collection of primitive data types such as int, char, float, etc., as well as derived and user-defined data types such as pointers, structures, etc.C// A simple C
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Properties of Array in CThe properties of the arrays vary in different programming languages. In this article, we will study the different properties of Array in the C programming language.1. Fixed Size of an ArrayIn C, the size of an array is fixed after its declaration. It should be known at the compile time and it canno
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Multidimensional Arrays in C - 2D and 3D ArraysA multi-dimensional array in C can be defined as an array that has more than one dimension. Having more than one dimension means that it can grow in multiple directions. Some popular multidimensional arrays include 2D arrays which grows in two dimensions, and 3D arrays which grows in three dimension
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Initialization of Multidimensional Array in CIn C, multidimensional arrays are the arrays that contain more than one dimensions. These arrays are useful when we need to store data in a table or matrix-like structure. In this article, we will learn the different methods to initialize a multidimensional array in C. The easiest method for initial
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Pass Array to Functions in CPassing an array to a function allows the function to directly access and modify the original array. In this article, we will learn how to pass arrays to functions in C.In C, arrays are always passed to function as pointers. They cannot be passed by value because of the array decay due to which, whe
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How to pass a 2D array as a parameter in C?A 2D array is essentially an array of arrays, where each element of the main array holds another array. In this article, we will see how to pass a 2D array to a function.The simplest and most common method to pass 2D array to a function is by specifying the parameter as 2D array with row size and co
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What are the data types for which it is not possible to create an array?In C, an array is a collection of variables of the same data type, stored in contiguous memory locations. Arrays can store data of primitive types like integers, characters, and floats, as well as user-defined types like structures.However, there are certain data types for which arrays cannot be dir
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How to pass an array by value in C ?In C programming, arrays are always passed as pointers to the function. There are no direct ways to pass the array by value. However, there is trick that allows you to simulate the passing of array by value by enclosing it inside a structure and then passing that structure by value. This will also p
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Strings in CA string is an array of characters terminated by a special character '\0' (null character). This null character marks the end of the string and is essential for proper string manipulation.Unlike many modern languages, C does not have a built-in string data type. Instead, strings are implemented as a
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Array of Strings in CIn C, an array of strings is a 2D array where each row contains a sequence of characters terminated by a '\0' NULL character (strings). It is used to store multiple strings in a single array.Let's take a look at an example:C#include <stdio.h> int main() { // Creating array of strings for 3 str
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What is the difference between single quoted and double quoted declaration of char array?In C programming, the way we declare and initialize a char array can differ based on whether we want to use a sequence of characters and strings. They are basically same with difference only of a '\0' NULL character.Double quotes automatically include the null terminator, making the array a string l
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C String FunctionsC language provides various built-in functions that can be used for various operations and manipulations on strings. These string functions make it easier to perform tasks such as string copy, concatenation, comparison, length, etc. The <string.h> header file contains these string functions.st
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C Pointers
C PointersA pointer is a variable that stores the memory address of another variable. Instead of holding a direct value, it holds the address where the value is stored in memory. It is the backbone of low-level memory manipulation in C. Accessing the pointer directly will just give us the address that is stor
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Pointer Arithmetics in C with ExamplesPointer Arithmetic is the set of valid arithmetic operations that can be performed on pointers. The pointer variables store the memory address of another variable. It doesn't store any value. Hence, there are only a few operations that are allowed to perform on Pointers in C language. The C pointer
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C - Pointer to Pointer (Double Pointer)In C, double pointers are those pointers which stores the address of another pointer. The first pointer is used to store the address of the variable, and the second pointer is used to store the address of the first pointer. That is why they are also known as a pointer to pointer.Let's take a look at
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Function Pointer in CIn C, a function pointer is a type of pointer that stores the address of a function, allowing functions to be passed as arguments and invoked dynamically. It is useful in techniques such as callback functions, event-driven programs, and polymorphism (a concept where a function or operator behaves di
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How to Declare a Pointer to a Function?A pointer to a function is similar to a pointer to a variable. However, instead of pointing to a variable, it points to the address of a function. This allows the function to be called indirectly, which is useful in situations like callback functions or event-driven programming.In this article, we w
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Pointer to an Array | Array PointerA pointer to an array is a pointer that points to the whole array instead of the first element of the array. It considers the whole array as a single unit instead of it being a collection of given elements.Example:C #include<stdio.h> int main() { int arr[5] = { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 }; int *ptr = arr;
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Difference between constant pointer, pointers to constant, and constant pointers to constantsIn this article, we will discuss the differences between constant pointer, pointers to constant & constant pointers to constants. Pointers are the variables that hold the address of some other variables, constants, or functions. There are several ways to qualify pointers using const. Pointers to
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Pointer vs Array in CMost of the time, pointer and array accesses can be treated as acting the same, the major exceptions being:  1. the sizeof operator sizeof(array) returns the amount of memory used by all elements in the array sizeof(pointer) only returns the amount of memory used by the pointer variable itself 2.
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Dangling, Void , Null and Wild Pointers in CIn C programming pointers are used to manipulate memory addresses, to store the address of some variable or memory location. But certain situations and characteristics related to pointers become challenging in terms of memory safety and program behavior these include Dangling (when pointing to deall
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Near, Far and Huge Pointers in CIn older times, the intel processors had 16-bit registers, but the address bus was 20-bits wide. Due to this, CPU registers were not able to hold the entire address at once. As a solution, the memory was divided into segments of 64 kB size, and the near pointers, far pointers, and huge pointers were
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restrict Keyword in CThe restrict keyword is a type qualifier that was introduced in the C99 standard. It is used to tell the compiler that a pointer is the only reference or access point to the memory it points to, allowing the compiler to make optimizations based on that information.Let's take a look at an example:C#i
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