Python Else

The Else Keyword

The else keyword catches anything which isn't caught by the preceding conditions.

The else statement is executed when the if condition (and any elif conditions) evaluate to False.

In this example a is greater than b, so the first condition is not true, also the elif condition is not true, so we go to the else condition and print to screen that "a is greater than b".

Else Without Elif

You can also have an else without the elif:

This creates a simple two-way choice: if the condition is true, execute one block; otherwise, execute the else block.

How Else Works

The else statement provides a default action when none of the previous conditions are true. Think of it as a "catch-all" for any scenario not covered by your if and elif statements.

Complete If-Elif-Else Chain

You can combine if, elif, and else to create a comprehensive decision-making structure.

Else as Fallback

The else statement acts as a fallback that executes when none of the preceding conditions are true. This makes it useful for error handling, validation, and providing default values.