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How do I break out of an infinite loop in Golang
Last Updated : July 19, 2025
In Go, infinite loops are commonly created using the for statement without any condition. These loops run endlessly until they are interrupted by a control statement such as break, return, or os.Exit(). The break statement is the most commonly used way to exit an infinite loop.
Creating an Infinite Loop
The syntax for an infinite loop in Go is:
for {
// loop body
}
Breaking Out of an Infinite Loop
To exit the infinite loop, use the break statement inside a conditional block. When the condition is met, the loop will terminate immediately.
Example
This example demonstrates how to break out of an infinite loop when a counter reaches a certain value:
package main
import "fmt"
func main() {
count := 0
for {
fmt.Println("Count is", count)
count++
if count >= 5 {
break
}
}
fmt.Println("Exited the infinite loop")
}
When you run the above code, the output will be:
Count is 0
Count is 1
Count is 2
Count is 3
Count is 4
Exited the infinite loop
Exit the Loop and Function Using return
The return statement can also be used to exit the loop and the function at the same time.
Example
The following example demonstrates how to use an infinite loop in Go and exit it using the return statement:
package main
import "fmt"
func main() {
num := 1
for {
if num > 3 {
fmt.Println("Terminating function using return")
return
}
fmt.Println("Number:", num)
num++
}
}
When you run the above code, the output will be:
Number: 1
Number: 2
Number: 3
Terminating function using return
Terminate the Program Using os.Exit()
In some cases, you may want to forcefully stop the program execution entirely. This can be done using the os.Exit() function.
Example
The following example shows how to forcefully terminate a Go program using os.Exit(), which immediately stops execution without reaching subsequent lines:
package main
import (
"fmt"
"os"
)
func main() {
for {
fmt.Println("Running...")
// Force exit the program after one iteration
os.Exit(0)
}
// This line will never be reached
fmt.Println("This will not be printed")
}
When you run the above code, the output will be:
Running...
Exercise
Select the correct answers to test your understanding of breaking out of an infinite loop in Go.
- What is the primary keyword used to exit a loop in Go?
- What happens when you use
return inside an infinite loop?
- Which function is used to terminate the program forcefully?
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