ref: 534ae9c57a902aea9ed6e62390dec11fa74b7122
dir: /content/en/functions/readfile.md/
---
title: readFile
description: Reads a file from disk relative to the current project working directory and returns a string.
godocref:
date: 2017-02-01
publishdate: 2017-02-01
lastmod: 2017-04-30
categories: [functions]
menu:
docs:
parent: "functions"
keywords: [files]
signature: ["readFile PATH"]
workson: []
hugoversion:
relatedfuncs: [readDir]
deprecated: false
aliases: []
---
Note that the filename must be relative to the current project working directory, or the project's `/content` folder.
So, if you have a file with the name `README.txt` in the root of your project with the content `Hugo Rocks!`:
```
{{readFile "README.txt"}} → "Hugo Rocks!"
```
If you receive a "file doesn't exist" error with a path listed, do take note that the path is the last one checked by the function, and may not accurately reflect your target. You should generally double-check your path for mistakes.
Note that there is a 1 MB file size limit.
For more information on using `readDir` and `readFile` in your templates, see [Local File Templates][local].
[local]: /templates/files/