How to Add New Elements at the Beginning of an Array in JavaScript

Topic: JavaScript / jQueryPrev|Next

Answer: Use the unshift() Method

You can use the unshift() method to easily add new elements or values at the beginning of an array in JavaScript. This method is a counterpart of the push() method, which adds the elements at the end of an array. However, both method returns the new length of the array.

The following example will show you how to add single or multiple elements at the start of an array.

<script>
var fruits = ["Apple", "Banana", "Mango"];
    
// Prepend a single element to fruits array
fruits.unshift("Orange");
    
console.log(fruits);
// Prints: ["Orange", "Apple", "Banana", "Mango"]
    
// Prepend multiple elements to fruits array
fruits.unshift("Guava", "Papaya");
    
console.log(fruits);
// Prints: ["Guava", "Papaya", "Orange", "Apple", "Banana", "Mango"]
    
// Loop through fruits array and display all the values
for(var i = 0; i < fruits.length; i++){
    document.write("<p>" + fruits[i] + "</p>");
}
</script>

Please check out the tutorial on JavaScript arrays to learn about array manipulations in detail.

Related FAQ

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• How to loop through an array in JavaScript
• How to check if a value exists in an array in JavaScript
• How to remove a particular element from an array in JavaScript