Ansible win_stat: Check if File or Directory Exists on Windows (Examples)

How to check if a directory/folder exists on Windows-like systems with Ansible?

I'm going to show you a live Playbook and some simple Ansible code. I'm Luca Berton and welcome to today's episode of Ansible Pilot

See also: Ansible Check If Directory Exists: stat Module Guide

Ansible check directory exists on Windows-like systems

• ansible.windows.win_stat • Get information about Windows files

Let's talk about the Ansible module win_stat. The full name is ansible.windows.win_stat, which means that is part of the collection of modules specialized to interact with Windows target host. It's a module pretty stable and out for years. It works in Windows and Windows Server operating systems. It gets information about Windows files. For Linux target use the ansible.builtin.stat module instead.

Parameters & Return Values

Mandatory Parameters

• path string

Main Return Values

• stat complex - isdir

The only mandatory parameter is "path" which is the filesystem full path of the object to check. The module returns a complex object, the property that is interesting for us is "isdir". This attribute is "true" if the object is a directory

See also: Ansible win_file Module: Create Directory on Windows Hosts (Guide)

Links

• ansible.windows.win_stat

## Playbook

How to check if the "example" directory/folder exists on the Desktop of the user on Windows-like systems with Ansible Playbook.

code

---
- name: check if is a directory
  hosts: all
  vars:
    directory: 'C:\Users\vagrant\Desktop\example'
  tasks:
    - name: Check the directory
      ansible.windows.win_stat:
        path: "{{ directory }}"
      register: dir_data
    - name: Directory found
      ansible.builtin.debug:
        msg: "Directory {{ directory }} present"
      when: dir_data.stat.isdir is defined and dir_data.stat.isdir

directory doesn't exist execution

ansible-pilot $ ansible-playbook -i virtualmachines/win/inventory check\ directory\ exists/directory_exists_windows.yml
PLAY [check if is a directory] ********************************************************************
TASK [Gathering Facts] ****************************************************************************
ok: [WindowsServer]
TASK [Check the directory] ************************************************************************
ok: [WindowsServer]
TASK [Directory found] ****************************************************************************
skipping: [WindowsServer]
PLAY RECAP ****************************************************************************************
WindowsServer              : ok=2    changed=0    unreachable=0    failed=0    skipped=1    rescued=0    ignored=0
ansible-pilot $

directory exist execution

ansible-pilot $ ansible-playbook -i virtualmachines/win/inventory check\ directory\ exists/directory_exists_windows.yml
PLAY [check if is a directory] ********************************************************************
TASK [Gathering Facts] ****************************************************************************
ok: [WindowsServer]
TASK [Check the directory] ************************************************************************
ok: [WindowsServer]
TASK [Directory found] ****************************************************************************
ok: [WindowsServer] => {
    "msg": "Directory C:\\Users\\vagrant\\Desktop\\example present"
}
PLAY RECAP ****************************************************************************************
WindowsServer              : ok=3    changed=0    unreachable=0    failed=0    skipped=0    rescued=0    ignored=0
ansible-pilot $

code with ❤️ in GitHub

Conclusion

Now you know how to check if a directory exists on Windows-like systems with Ansible.

See also: Ansible win_copy Module: Copy Files to Windows Hosts (ansible.windows.win_copy)

Check Directory Exists

- name: Check if directory exists
  ansible.windows.win_stat:
    path: C:\Program Files\MyApp
  register: dir_result
- name: Create if missing
  ansible.windows.win_file:
    path: C:\Program Files\MyApp
    state: directory
  when: not dir_result.stat.exists

Check File Exists

- name: Check config file
  ansible.windows.win_stat:
    path: C:\MyApp\config.yml
  register: config_check
- name: Deploy default config
  ansible.windows.win_copy:
    src: files/default-config.yml
    dest: C:\MyApp\config.yml
  when: not config_check.stat.exists

Get File Properties

- name: Get file info
  ansible.windows.win_stat:
    path: C:\MyApp\app.exe
  register: file_info
- debug:
    msg:
      - "Size: {{ file_info.stat.size }} bytes"
      - "Modified: {{ file_info.stat.lastwritetime }}"
      - "Is directory: {{ file_info.stat.isdir }}"
      - "Is read-only: {{ file_info.stat.isreadonly }}"

Checksum Verification

- name: Get file checksum
  ansible.windows.win_stat:
    path: C:\Downloads\installer.exe
    checksum_algorithm: sha256
  register: dl_check
- name: Verify integrity
  assert:
    that: dl_check.stat.checksum == expected_checksum
    fail_msg: "File corrupted — checksum mismatch"

Common Patterns

Backup before overwrite

- name: Check if config exists
  ansible.windows.win_stat:
    path: C:\MyApp\config.yml
  register: existing
- name: Backup existing config
  ansible.windows.win_copy:
    src: C:\MyApp\config.yml
    dest: "C:\Backup\config-{{ ansible_date_time.iso8601_basic_short }}.yml"
    remote_src: true
  when: existing.stat.exists
- name: Deploy new config
  ansible.windows.win_copy:
    src: files/config.yml
    dest: C:\MyApp\config.yml

Wait for file to appear

- name: Wait for install to complete
  ansible.windows.win_stat:
    path: C:\MyApp\install_complete.flag
  register: flag
  retries: 30
  delay: 10
  until: flag.stat.exists

win_stat vs stat

| Module | Platform | Path Style | |--------|----------|------------| | win_stat | Windows | C:\path\to\file | | stat | Linux/macOS | /path/to/file |

Available Properties

| Property | Description | |----------|-------------| | exists | File/directory exists | | isdir | Is a directory | | isreg | Is a regular file | | size | File size in bytes | | checksum | File hash (with algorithm) | | isreadonly | Read-only flag | | ishidden | Hidden flag | | lastwritetime | Last modification time |

FAQ

How do I check a UNC path?

- win_stat:
    path: \\\\fileserver\\share\\folder
  register: unc_check

Does win_stat follow symlinks?

Yes by default. Use follow: false to check the link itself.

Related Articles

• Ansible when conditional guide • managing inventory in Ansible • the Ansible Windows reference