Download Folders From DBFS: A Simple Guide

Nov 8, 2025 by Admin 43 views

Hey everyone! Ever found yourself needing to download a whole folder from Databricks File System (DBFS) to your local machine? It's a common task, and luckily, there are several ways to get it done. In this guide, we'll walk through a few methods, making sure you've got the tools you need to efficiently manage your data. Let's dive in!

Understanding DBFS and Why You Need to Download Folders

Before we get into the how-to, let's quickly cover what DBFS is and why you might want to download folders from it.

DBFS, or Databricks File System, is a distributed file system mounted into a Databricks workspace. It allows you to store data, libraries, and other files directly within your Databricks environment. Think of it as a convenient, centralized storage location accessible by all your notebooks and jobs.

Now, why download folders? There are several reasons:

Local Analysis: Sometimes, you need to work with data locally using tools outside of Databricks. Downloading a folder lets you do just that.
Backup and Archiving: It's always a good idea to have backups of your important data. Downloading folders from DBFS is a simple way to create local backups.
Sharing Data: You might need to share data with colleagues or clients who don't have access to your Databricks workspace. Downloading and then sharing the folder is a straightforward solution.
Version Control: Integrating your data with version control systems like Git often requires local copies of your files.

Understanding these reasons highlights the importance of knowing how to efficiently download folders from DBFS. So, let's get to the methods!

Method 1: Using the Databricks CLI

The Databricks Command-Line Interface (CLI) is a powerful tool for interacting with your Databricks workspace from your local machine. It provides a simple way to download folders directly from DBFS. Here’s how you can do it:

Prerequisites

Install the Databricks CLI: If you haven't already, you'll need to install the Databricks CLI. You can do this using pip:
```
pip install databricks-cli
```
Configure the CLI: You need to configure the CLI to connect to your Databricks workspace. The easiest way to do this is by setting up a Databricks personal access token. Here’s how:
- In your Databricks workspace, go to User Settings > Access Tokens > Generate New Token.
- Give your token a name and set an expiration (or choose no expiration for testing purposes).
- Copy the token. Important: This is the only time you'll see the token, so make sure to copy it to a safe place.
- Now, configure the CLI by running:
```
databricks configure --token
```
  It will prompt you for your Databricks host (e.g., https://your-databricks-instance.cloud.databricks.com) and the token you just created.

Downloading the Folder

Once the CLI is configured, you can download a folder using the databricks fs cp command with the --recursive option. Here's the syntax:

databricks fs cp --recursive dbfs:/path/to/your/folder /local/path/to/save

dbfs:/path/to/your/folder: This is the path to the folder in DBFS that you want to download.
/local/path/to/save: This is the local path on your machine where you want to save the folder.

Example:

Let's say you want to download a folder named my_data from DBFS to your local Downloads directory. The command would look like this:

databricks fs cp --recursive dbfs:/my_data /Users/yourusername/Downloads

Explanation:

databricks fs cp: This is the command for copying files and directories.
--recursive: This option tells the CLI to copy the folder and all its contents recursively.
dbfs:/my_data: This specifies the source folder in DBFS.
/Users/yourusername/Downloads: This specifies the destination directory on your local machine.

This method is efficient and straightforward, especially for larger folders, as the CLI is optimized for interacting with DBFS. However, it requires you to have the Databricks CLI installed and configured.

Method 2: Using Databricks Notebooks and `dbutils.fs.cp`

Another way to download a folder is by using Databricks notebooks and the dbutils.fs.cp command. This method is useful if you're already working within a Databricks notebook and want to download a folder as part of your workflow.

Step-by-Step Guide

Create a Databricks Notebook: If you don't already have one, create a new Databricks notebook.
Use dbutils.fs.cp with a Recursive Copy: The dbutils.fs.cp command can copy files and directories within DBFS. To download a folder, you'll need to combine it with a recursive copy function. Here’s the code:

import os

def download_folder(dbfs_path, local_path):
    files = dbutils.fs.ls(dbfs_path)
    for file in files:
        if file.isFile():
            dbutils.fs.cp(file.path, os.path.join(local_path, file.name))
        else:
            new_local_path = os.path.join(local_path, file.name)
            os.makedirs(new_local_path, exist_ok=True)
            download_folder(file.path, new_local_path)

dbfs_folder_path = "dbfs:/path/to/your/folder" # Replace with your DBFS folder path
local_download_path = "/local/path/to/save" # Replace with your local path

os.makedirs(local_download_path, exist_ok=True)
download_folder(dbfs_folder_path, local_download_path)