JavaScript Array indexOf()
Examples
Find the first index of "Apple":
const fruits = ["Banana", "Orange", "Apple", "Mango"];
let index = fruits.indexOf("Apple");
Try it Yourself »
Start at index 3:
const fruits = ["Banana", "Orange", "Apple", "Mango", "Apple"];
let index = fruits.indexOf("Apple", 3);
Try it Yourself »
More examples below.
Definition and Usage
The indexOf()
method returns the first index (position) of a specified value.
The indexOf()
method returns -1 if the value is not found.
The indexOf()
method starts at a specified index and searches from left to right.
By default the search starts at the first element and ends at the last.
Negative start values counts from the last element (but still searches from left to right).
See Also:
The lastIndexOf()
method
Syntax
array.indexOf(item, start)
Parameters
Parameter | Description | |
item | Required. The value to search for. |
|
start | Optional. Where to start the search. Default value is 0. Negative values start the search from the end of the array. |
Return Value
Type | Description |
A number | The index (position) of the first item found. -1 if the item is not found. |
Note
In an array, the first element has index (position) 0, the second has index 1, ...
More Examples
Find the first index of "Apple", starting from the last element:
const fruits = ["Banana", "Orange", "Apple", "Mango", "Apple"];
let index = fruits.indexOf("Apple", -1);
Try it Yourself »
Browser Support
indexOf()
is an ECMAScript5 (ES5) feature.
ES5 (JavaScript 2009) fully supported in all browsers:
Chrome | Edge | Firefox | Safari | Opera | IE |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9-11 |