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Java Break and Continue

Break and continue are statements that change how a loop runs. Break ends the loop at once, and continue skips the rest of the current pass.

Break stops the loop

The loop would print up to 9 without the break. The break fires when i reaches 3, before that value prints.

public class Main {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
      if (i == 3) {
        break;
      }
      System.out.println(i);
    }
  }
}

Continue skips one value

The continue fires when i is 3. That pass ends early, so 3 is missing from the printed sequence.

public class Main {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    for (int i = 0; i <= 5; i++) {
      if (i == 3) {
        continue;
      }
      System.out.println(i);
    }
  }
}

Break inside a while loop

This while loop counts up from 1. The break fires when i reaches 4, before that value prints.

public class Main {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    int i = 1;
    while (i < 10) {
      if (i == 4) {
        break;
      }
      System.out.println(i);
      i++;
    }
  }
}

Example

public class Main {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    for (int i = 1; i <= 10; i++) {
      if (i == 5) {
        continue;
      }
      if (i == 8) {
        break;
      }
      System.out.println(i);
    }
  }
}

Key points

  • Break leaves the loop at once.
  • Continue skips the rest of the current pass.
  • After continue, the loop moves on to its next pass.
  • Both statements often sit inside an if inside the loop.
  • Break works in both for loops and while loops.

In this example, one loop uses both statements. The continue skips 5, so that value never prints. The break fires at 8 and ends the loop. The printed sequence stops at 7.

Note

Continue does not end the loop.

Try it Yourself

Edit the code, then press Run.

Running is simulated · Programiz Java Compiler

Exercise

What does continue do inside a loop?