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C++ Break and Continue

Break and continue are statements that change how a loop runs. Break ends a loop, and continue skips the rest of one run.

Break stops a loop

The loop counts toward 5. The break statement ends the loop when the counter reaches 4.

#include <iostream>

int main() {
  for (int i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
    if (i == 4) {
      break;
    }
    std::cout << i << std::endl;
  }
  return 0;
}

Continue skips a value

The loop counts from 1 to 5. The continue statement skips the run for 3.

#include <iostream>

int main() {
  for (int i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
    if (i == 3) {
      continue;
    }
    std::cout << i << std::endl;
  }
  return 0;
}

Break leaves a while loop early

The while loop counts toward 10. The break statement ends the loop when the counter reaches 4.

#include <iostream>

int main() {
  int count = 1;
  while (count <= 10) {
    if (count == 4) {
      break;
    }
    std::cout << count << std::endl;
    count++;
  }
  return 0;
}

Example

#include <iostream>

int main() {
  for (int i = 1; i <= 10; i++) {
    if (i == 3) {
      continue;
    }
    if (i > 5) {
      break;
    }
    std::cout << i << std::endl;
  }
  return 0;
}

Key points

  • The break statement ends a loop at once.
  • The continue statement skips the rest of the current run.
  • After continue, the loop moves on to its next run.
  • An if statement often decides when break or continue runs.
  • Break can end a while loop before its condition turns false.

In this example, continue skips the run for 3. Break ends the loop after 5 is printed. The loop never reaches the numbers above 5.

Note

Continue does not end a loop. The loop keeps running.

Try it Yourself

Edit the code, then press Run.

Running is simulated · Programiz C++ Compiler

Exercise

What does continue do inside a loop?