How can I overwrite a file in a different folder using shutil.copy() and os.rename() in Python?

I have a script which outputs an excel file '.xlsx' containing various data. It generates a file with the date in the name in one folder, and then generates a copy, using shutil.copy(), in a separate folder. I then rename the file using os.rename(), however instead of overwriting the file already there, it produces the following error:

"FileExistsError: [WinError 183] Cannot create a file when that file already exists:"

I need the file to be exactly the same name everytime the script is run, as it is subsequently used as an automatic input file for PowerBI.

Current code is as follows:

# Select file you want to copy & where to copy it to
src_file = vb.output_path
destination = vb.path_reports_cashflowcopy

# Copy the file
shutil.copy(src_file, destination)

# Define copy path
cashflow_copy_path = vb.ROOT_DIR + '\\Data_and_Reports\\Reports\\Cashflow Copies\\'

# Rename the file
os.rename(cashflow_copy_path + str(date.today()) + ' -  Lettings Report BETA - '  +       vb.academic_year_selection +  '.xlsx',
          cashflow_copy_path + 'Copy ' + vb.academic_year_selection + '.xlsx')

src_file is the original output excel file created.
vb.xxxxxx is from a connected script which describes various file paths and other inputs used to name the files.

To avoid the "FileExistsError" when renaming the file, you can check if the destination file already exists before renaming it.

import os
import shutil
from datetime import date

# Select file you want to copy & where to copy it to
src_file = vb.output_path
destination = vb.path_reports_cashflowcopy

# Copy the file
shutil.copy(src_file, destination)

# Define copy path
cashflow_copy_path = vb.ROOT_DIR + '\\Data_and_Reports\\Reports\\Cashflow Copies\\'

# Rename the file
new_file_name = cashflow_copy_path + 'Copy ' + vb.academic_year_selection + '.xlsx'
existing_file = cashflow_copy_path + str(date.today()) + ' -  Lettings Report BETA - ' + vb.academic_year_selection + '.xlsx'

if os.path.exists(existing_file):
    os.remove(existing_file) # Delete the existing file if it exists

os.rename(src_file, new_file_name)

This is expected behaviour on some OS, see the docs on os.rename which also give a solution (emphasis mine):

> Rename the file or directory src to dst. If dst exists, the operation will fail with an OSError subclass in a number of cases:
On Windows, if dst exists a FileExistsError is always raised. The operation may fail if src and dst are on different filesystems. Use shutil.move() to support moves to a different filesystem.
On Unix, if src is a file and dst is a directory or vice-versa, an IsADirectoryError or a NotADirectoryError will be raised respectively. If both are directories and dst is empty, dst will be silently replaced. If dst is a non-empty directory, an OSError is raised. If both are files, dst will be replaced silently if the user has permission. The operation may fail on some Unix flavors if src and dst are on different filesystems. If successful, the renaming will be an atomic operation (this is a POSIX requirement).
This function can support specifying src_dir_fd and/or dst_dir_fd to supply paths relative to directory descriptors.
If you want cross-platform overwriting of the destination, use replace().

So switching to os.replace should do the trick

Extract from the relevant section on os.replace:

> Rename the file or directory src to dst. If dst is a non-empty directory, OSError will be raised. If dst exists and is a file, it will be replaced silently if the user has permission. The operation may fail if src and dst are on different filesystems.