Java With Us

The Enhanced <code>for</code> Loop (for-each) in Java

Updated on 2026-04-21 Reviewed by the Java With Us editorial team

The enhanced for — also called for-each — iterates every element of an array or Iterable without tracking an index. It's the cleanest way to read through a collection when you only need the elements.

Syntax

for (ElementType name : iterable) {
    // use name
}

// Examples
for (String s : names) System.out.println(s);
for (int n : new int[]{1, 2, 3}) sum += n;
for (Map.Entry<String,Integer> e : map.entrySet()) { ... }

Works with anything Iterable

Any class that implements Iterable<T> or is an array. Map isn't Iterable — iterate entrySet(), keySet() or values() instead.

Limitations

  • No index — if you need i, use a classic for.
  • No modification — calling list.remove(x) or list.add(x) inside throws ConcurrentModificationException. Use removeIf or an explicit Iterator.
  • No next peeking — you can't look at the next element without an Iterator.

Under the hood

for (User u : list) { send(u); }

// Is equivalent to:
for (Iterator<User> it = list.iterator(); it.hasNext(); ) {
    User u = it.next();
    send(u);
}

forEach method (Java 8+)

list.forEach(System.out::println);                  // a method, not a loop
list.forEach(user -> send(user));

Convenient with method references, but you can't break or return from inside. For complex iteration, prefer the for-each loop.

Common mistakes

  • Trying to remove during iteration — use removeIf.
  • Needing the index anyway — either keep a counter outside or switch to classic for.
  • Iterating a Map directly — iterate map.entrySet(), map.keySet() or map.values().

Related

Pillar: Java control flow. See also for loop, Iterator.

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