In this blog post, I\u2019ll show you three different methods how to remove last element from list in Python. You\u2019ll also learn how to remove N last elements from a list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is a Python list?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Python list is a data structure used to store data in a specific order. A list is a sequence of items that can be accessed by an index. It is enclosed by square brackets and the items are separated by commas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
pop()<\/code><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThe simplest way to remove last element from list in Python is to use the pop()<\/code> method. It accepts the optional index<\/code> argument, which is used to delete an element in that position. If no arguments are passed to the pop()<\/code> method, then the last element is removed from the list and returned as the result of a function call.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\na = [10, 20, 'abc', 30]\nprint(a) # [10, 20, 'abc', 30]\n\na.pop()\nprint(a) # [10, 20, 'abc']<\/pre>\n\n\n\nWARNING<\/strong> - If the list is empty, pop()<\/strong> will raise the IndexError: pop from empty list<\/strong>.<\/pre>\n\n\n\n2. Using slicing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Python lists can be sliced. Slicing a list means extracting part of that list based on a defined range. So if we extract everything except the last element of a list, that can serve as a deletion technique.<\/strong> Let\u2019s see in the example how this works.<\/p>\n\n\n\na = [10, 20, 'abc', 30]\nprint(a) # [10, 20, 'abc', 30]\n\na = a[:-1]\nprint(a) # [10, 20, 'abc']<\/pre>\n\n\n\nRemember that the index defined as -1 refers to the last element in a list. So, for example, python translates range [:-1]<\/code> as \u201crange starting from index 0 to the last index, not including the last index\u201d, or in our case, \u201crange starting from index 0 to index 3, not including index 3\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n3. Using del<\/code> keyword<\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnother convenient method for removing the last element from the list in Python is using the del<\/code> keyword. It can come in handy when you need to get rid of any object in Python. The same applies to the elements of a list. All you have to do is type the del<\/code> keyword before the list element accessed via index.<\/strong> If index is -1, del<\/code> will remove the last element in a list.<\/p>\n\n\n\na = [10, 20, 'abc', 30]\nprint(a) # [10, 20, 'abc', 30]\n\ndel a[-1]\nprint(a) # [10, 20, 'abc']<\/pre>\n\n\n\nRemove last N elements from list in Python<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s generalize previous methods a bit. What if you wanted to remove the last N elements from the list in Python? Don\u2019t worry; the process is very similar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Using slicing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Again, slicing can be used to remove the last N elements from the list. Only this time, instead of defining only the last index, you need to define the last N indexes.<\/strong> Let me show you how to do that. <\/p>\n\n\n\nIn our example, we want to remove the last two elements from a list. We can store this value in a variable called N. When defining a range that will be sliced, instead of writing it as [:-1]<\/code>, we write it as [:-N]<\/code>. This will create a new list from the existing one, containing all indexes except the last two (N).<\/p>\n\n\n\na = [10, 20, 'abc', 30]\nprint(a) # [10, 20, 'abc', 30]\n\nN = 2\na = a[:-N]\nprint(a) # [10, 20]<\/pre>\n\n\n\n2. Using del<\/code> keyword<\/h3>\n\n\n\n