The MySQL LIMIT Clause

The LIMIT clause is used to specify the number of records to return.

The LIMIT clause is useful on large tables with thousands of records. Returning a large number of records can impact performance.

LIMIT Syntax

SELECT column_name(s)
FROM table_name
WHERE condition
LIMIT number;

Demo Database

Below is a selection from the "Customers" table in the Northwind sample database:

CustomerID	CustomerName	ContactName	Address	City	PostalCode	Country
1	Alfreds Futterkiste	Maria Anders	Obere Str. 57	Berlin	12209	Germany
2	Ana Trujillo Emparedados y helados	Ana Trujillo	Avda. de la Constitución 2222	México D.F.	05021	Mexico
3	Antonio Moreno Taquería	Antonio Moreno	Mataderos 2312	México D.F.	05023	Mexico
4	Around the Horn	Thomas Hardy	120 Hanover Sq.	London	WA1 1DP	UK
5	Berglunds snabbköp	Christina Berglund	Berguvsvägen 8	Luleå	S-958 22	Sweden

MySQL LIMIT Examples

The following SQL statement selects the first three records from the "Customers" table:

ExampleGet your own SQL Server

SELECT * FROM Customers
LIMIT 3;

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What if we want to select records 4 - 6 (inclusive)?

MySQL provides a way to handle this: by using OFFSET.

The SQL query below says "return only 3 records, start on record 4 (OFFSET 3)":

Example

SELECT * FROM Customers
LIMIT 3 OFFSET 3;

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ADD a WHERE CLAUSE

The following SQL statement selects the first three records from the "Customers" table, where the country is "Germany":

Example

SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE Country='Germany'
LIMIT 3;