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Java break and continue: Controlling Loops, Including Labeled break

Learn how break exits a loop early and continue skips to the next iteration in Java, with search examples, while(true) loops, and labeled break and continue for leaving nested loops.

Beginner9 min readUpdated
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break and continue change the normal flow of a loop: break leaves it immediately, and continue skips straight to the next iteration. Java also has labeled versions that work across nested loops.

break: leave the loop#

Java
public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int[] readings = {12, 7, 0, -3, 8, -1};

        for (int i = 0; i < readings.length; i++) {
            if (readings[i] < 0) {
                System.out.println("First negative: " + readings[i] + " at index " + i);
                break;
            }
        }
        System.out.println("Search finished");
    }
}
Output
First negative: -3 at index 3
Search finished

To know afterwards whether break happened, use a flag:

Java
public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int[] ids = {104, 221, 357};
        int wanted = 500;
        boolean found = false;

        for (int id : ids) {
            if (id == wanted) {
                found = true;
                break;
            }
        }
        System.out.println(found ? "Found" : "Not found");
    }
}
Output
Not found

continue: skip to the next iteration#

Java
public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        for (int i = 1; i <= 10; i++) {
            if (i % 3 == 0) {
                continue;   // skip multiples of 3
            }
            System.out.print(i + " ");
        }
        System.out.println();
    }
}
Output
1 2 4 5 7 8 10

continue at the top of a loop body is a clean way to skip invalid data:

Java
import java.util.List;

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        List<String> names = List.of("Asha", "", "Ravi", "  ", "Meera");

        for (String name : names) {
            if (name.isBlank()) continue;
            System.out.println("Hello, " + name + "!");
        }
    }
}
Output
Hello, Asha!
Hello, Ravi!
Hello, Meera!

isBlank() (Java 11) is true for empty strings and strings of only spaces.

while (true) with break#

When the exit condition is in the middle of the body, an endless loop with break reads clearly:

Java
import java.util.Scanner;

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Scanner in = new Scanner(System.in);
        int total = 0;
        while (true) {
            System.out.print("Number (or 'done'): ");
            String input = in.next();
            if (input.equals("done")) break;
            total += Integer.parseInt(input);
        }
        System.out.println("Total: " + total);
    }
}
Output
Number (or 'done'): 3
Number (or 'done'): 5
Number (or 'done'): done
Total: 8

Labeled break: leaving nested loops#

A plain break leaves only the innermost loop. Java lets you put a label on an outer loop and break out of it directly:

Java
public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int[][] grid = {{1, 2, 3}, {4, 5, 6}, {7, 8, 9}};
        int target = 5;

        search:
        for (int r = 0; r < grid.length; r++) {
            for (int c = 0; c < grid[r].length; c++) {
                if (grid[r][c] == target) {
                    System.out.println("Found " + target + " at row " + r + ", column " + c);
                    break search;   // leaves both loops
                }
            }
        }
        System.out.println("Done");
    }
}
Output
Found 5 at row 1, column 1
Done

continue label; similarly jumps to the next iteration of the labeled outer loop. Labels are useful but rare; often, moving the nested loops into a method and using return is clearer.

Common mistakes#

Practice#

Practice exercise

Print the first 5 prime numbers greater than 50. Use break to stop testing divisors once one is found, and to stop the outer loop after 5 primes.

Show solution
Java
public class Primes {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int found = 0;
        StringBuilder out = new StringBuilder();
        for (int n = 51; ; n++) {
            boolean prime = true;
            for (int d = 2; d * d <= n; d++) {
                if (n % d == 0) {
                    prime = false;
                    break;
                }
            }
            if (!prime) continue;
            out.append(n).append(' ');
            found++;
            if (found == 5) break;
        }
        System.out.println(out.toString().trim());
    }
}
Output
53 59 61 67 71

Key takeaway#

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