CopyOnWriteArrayList iterator() method in Java

Last Updated : 11 Jul, 2025
The iterator() method of CopyOnWriteArrayList returns an iterator over the elements in this list in proper sequence. The iterator does NOT support the remove method. Syntax:
public Iterator iterator()
Parameters: The function does not accept any parameters. Return Value: The function returns an iterator over the elements in the list. Below programs illustrate the above function: Program 1: Java
// Java Program to illustrate the CopyOnWriteArrayList
// iterator() method in Java
import java.util.concurrent.CopyOnWriteArrayList;
import java.util.*;

public class GFG {
    public static void main(String[] args)
    {

        // create object of CopyOnWriteArrayList
        CopyOnWriteArrayList<Integer> ArrLis
            = new CopyOnWriteArrayList<Integer>();

        // Add elements
        ArrLis.add(32);
        ArrLis.add(67);
        ArrLis.add(67);
        ArrLis.add(100);

        // print CopyOnWriteArrayList
        System.out.println("CopyOnWriteArrayList: " + ArrLis);

        // Call iterator() method of
        Iterator iteratorVals = ArrLis.iterator();

        // Print elements of iterator
        // created from CopyOnWriteArrayList
        System.out.println("The iterator values"
                           + " of CopyOnWriteArrayList are:");

        // prints the elements using an iterator
        while (iteratorVals.hasNext()) {
            System.out.println(iteratorVals.next());
        }
    }
}
Output:
CopyOnWriteArrayList: [32, 67, 67, 100]
The iterator values of CopyOnWriteArrayList are:
32
67
67
100
Program 2: Java
// Java Program to illustrate the CopyOnWriteArrayList
// iterator() method in Java
import java.util.concurrent.CopyOnWriteArrayList;
import java.util.*;

public class GFG {
    public static void main(String[] args)
    {

        // create object of CopyOnWriteArrayList
        CopyOnWriteArrayList<String> ArrLis
            = new CopyOnWriteArrayList<String>();

        // Add elements
        ArrLis.add("gopal");
        ArrLis.add("gfg");
        ArrLis.add("jgec");
        ArrLis.add("sudo");

        // print CopyOnWriteArrayList
        System.out.println("CopyOnWriteArrayList: " + ArrLis);

        // Call iterator() method of
        Iterator iteratorVals = ArrLis.iterator();

        // Print elements of iterator
        // created from CopyOnWriteArrayList
        System.out.println("The iterator values"
                           + " of CopyOnWriteArrayList are:");

        // prints the elements using an iterator
        while (iteratorVals.hasNext()) {
            System.out.println(iteratorVals.next());
        }
    }
}
Output:
CopyOnWriteArrayList: [gopal, gfg, jgec, sudo]
The iterator values of CopyOnWriteArrayList are:
gopal
gfg
jgec
sudo
Reference: https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/api/java/util/concurrent/CopyOnWriteArrayList.html#iterator--
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