Skip to content

How to break out of a for loop in JavaScript

Find out the ways you can use to break out of a for or for..of loop in JavaScript

Say you have a for loop:

const list = ['a', 'b', 'c']
for (let i = 0; i < list.length; i++) {
  console.log(`${i} ${list[i]}`)
}

If you want to break at some point, say when you reach the element b, you can use the break statement:

const list = ['a', 'b', 'c']
for (let i = 0; i < list.length; i++) {
  console.log(`${i} ${list[i]}`)
  if (list[i] === 'b') {
    break
  }
}

You can use break also to break out of a for..of loop:

const list = ['a', 'b', 'c']

for (const value of list) {
  console.log(value)
  if (value === 'b') {
    break
  }
}

Note: there is no way to break out of a forEach loop, so (if you need to) use either for or for..of.


→ Here's my latest YouTube video

→ Get my JavaScript Beginner's Handbook

→ I wrote 17 books to help you become a better developer, download them all at $0 cost by joining my newsletter

JOIN MY CODING BOOTCAMP, an amazing cohort course that will be a huge step up in your coding career - covering React, Next.js - next edition February 2025

Bootcamp 2025

Join the waiting list