[java] How can I break from a try/catch block without throwing an exception in Java

Various ways:

  • return
  • break or continue when in a loop
  • break to label when in a labeled statement (see @aioobe's example)
  • break when in a switch statement.

...

  • System.exit() ... though that's probably not what you mean.

In my opinion, "break to label" is the most natural (least contorted) way to do this if you just want to get out of a try/catch. But it could be confusing to novice Java programmers who have never encountered that Java construct.

But while labels are obscure, in my opinion wrapping the code in a do ... while (false) so that you can use a break is a worse idea. This will confuse non-novices as well as novices. It is better for novices (and non-novices!) to learn about labeled statements.


By the way, return works in the case where you need to break out of a finally. But you should avoid doing a return in a finally block because the semantics are a bit confusing, and liable to give the reader a headache.