diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 300752a8a..1b5023e23 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -1131,6 +1131,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "hexf-parse 0.1.0 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "indexmap 1.0.2 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "itertools 0.8.0 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
+ "kernel32-sys 0.2.2 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "lazy_static 1.3.0 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "lexical 2.2.1 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "libc 0.2.60 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
diff --git a/tests/snippets/stdlib_io.py b/tests/snippets/stdlib_io.py
index 184146081..78f1287a9 100644
--- a/tests/snippets/stdlib_io.py
+++ b/tests/snippets/stdlib_io.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 from io import BufferedReader, FileIO, StringIO, BytesIO
 import os
+from testutils import assertRaises
 
 fi = FileIO('README.md')
 assert fi.seekable()
@@ -23,3 +24,9 @@ fd = os.open('README.md', os.O_RDONLY)
 with FileIO(fd) as fio:
 	res2 = fio.read()
 	assert res == res2
+
+fi = FileIO('README.md')
+fi.read()
+fi.close()
+with assertRaises(ValueError):
+    fi.read()
diff --git a/vm/Cargo.toml b/vm/Cargo.toml
index 64160547a..b1f1873f2 100644
--- a/vm/Cargo.toml
+++ b/vm/Cargo.toml
@@ -79,3 +79,6 @@ libz-sys = "1.0.25"
 gethostname = "0.2.0"
 subprocess = "0.1.18"
 num_cpus = "1.0"
+
+[target."cfg(windows)".dependencies]
+kernel32-sys = "0.2.2"
diff --git a/vm/src/stdlib/io.rs b/vm/src/stdlib/io.rs
index 22f17aa5f..1178724f4 100644
--- a/vm/src/stdlib/io.rs
+++ b/vm/src/stdlib/io.rs
@@ -431,6 +431,31 @@ fn file_io_write(vm: &VirtualMachine, args: PyFuncArgs) -> PyResult {
     }
 }
 
+#[cfg(windows)]
+fn file_io_close(vm: &VirtualMachine, args: PyFuncArgs) -> PyResult {
+    use std::os::windows::io::IntoRawHandle;
+    arg_check!(vm, args, required = [(file_io, None)]);
+    let file_no = vm.get_attribute(file_io.clone(), "fileno")?;
+    let raw_fd = objint::get_value(&file_no).to_i64().unwrap();
+    let handle = os::rust_file(raw_fd);
+    let raw_handle = handle.into_raw_handle();
+    unsafe {
+        kernel32::CloseHandle(raw_handle);
+    }
+    Ok(vm.ctx.none())
+}
+
+#[cfg(unix)]
+fn file_io_close(vm: &VirtualMachine, args: PyFuncArgs) -> PyResult {
+    arg_check!(vm, args, required = [(file_io, None)]);
+    let file_no = vm.get_attribute(file_io.clone(), "fileno")?;
+    let raw_fd = objint::get_value(&file_no).to_i32().unwrap();
+    unsafe {
+        libc::close(raw_fd);
+    }
+    Ok(vm.ctx.none())
+}
+
 fn file_io_seekable(vm: &VirtualMachine, _args: PyFuncArgs) -> PyResult {
     Ok(vm.ctx.new_bool(true))
 }
@@ -678,6 +703,7 @@ pub fn make_module(vm: &VirtualMachine) -> PyObjectRef {
         "read" => ctx.new_rustfunc(file_io_read),
         "readinto" => ctx.new_rustfunc(file_io_readinto),
         "write" => ctx.new_rustfunc(file_io_write),
+        "close" => ctx.new_rustfunc(file_io_close),
         "seekable" => ctx.new_rustfunc(file_io_seekable)
     });