Python While Loops

Discover how to use while loops in Python to execute code repeatedly as long as a specified condition remains true. Learn the syntax and see practical examples of while loops in action.

Python While Loops

Python has two primary loop commands:

• while loops
• for loops

The while Loop

The while loop allows us to execute a set of statements as long as a condition is true.

i = 2
while i < 6:
  print(i)
  i += 1
            

2
3
4
5
            

Note: Remember to increment i, or else the loop will continue forever.

The while loop requires relevant variables to be ready. In this example, we need to define an indexing variable, i, which we set to 2.

The break Statement

The break statement allows us to stop the loop even if the while condition is true.

i = 2
while i < 6:
  print(i)
  if i == 4:
    break
  i += 1
            

2
3
4
            

The continue Statement

The continue statement stops the current iteration and continues with the next.

i = 1
while i < 6:
  i += 1
  if i == 3:
    continue
  print(i)
            

2
4
5
6
            

The else Statement

The else statement runs a block of code once when the condition is no longer true.

i = 2
while i < 6:
  print(i)
  i += 1
else:
  print("i is no longer less than 6")
            

2
3
4
5
i is no longer less than 6