Default access modifier in Java - Step-by-Step Execution

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Concept Flow - Default access modifier

Declare class or member

↓

No access modifier specified?

Yes↓

Apply default (package-private) access

↓

Accessible within same package only

↓

Not accessible from other packages

When no access modifier is given, Java uses default access, allowing access only within the same package.

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Execution Sample

Java

class MyClass {
    void display() {
        System.out.println("Hello");
    }
}

// Another class in same package
class Test {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        MyClass obj = new MyClass();
        obj.display();
    }
}

This code shows a class and method with default access used within the same package.

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Execution Table

Step	Action	Access Modifier	Access Allowed?	Output
1	Declare class MyClass without modifier	default (package-private)	Accessible within package
2	Declare method display() without modifier	default (package-private)	Accessible within package
3	Create MyClass object in Test class (same package)	N/A	Allowed
4	Call display() method on MyClass object	default (package-private)	Allowed	Hello
5	Try access from different package (not shown)	default (package-private)	Not allowed	Compilation error

💡 Execution stops after successful method call; access outside package is blocked by default modifier.

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Variable Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 3	After Step 4	Final
obj	null	MyClass instance	MyClass instance	MyClass instance

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Key Moments - 3 Insights

▶Why can the Test class access MyClass and its display() method without any access modifier?

▶What happens if we try to access MyClass from a different package?

▶Is default access the same as public or private?

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Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution table, at which step is the display() method called successfully?

A Step 2

B Step 4

C Step 5

D Step 1

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Concept Snapshot

Default access modifier in Java means no modifier is written.
It allows access only within the same package.
Classes, methods, and variables without public/private/protected are package-private.
Access outside the package causes a compile error.
Use default for package-level encapsulation.

contract

Full Transcript

In Java, when you declare a class or member without any access modifier, it uses the default access modifier, also called package-private. This means the class or member is accessible only within the same package. For example, if you have a class MyClass and a method display() both without modifiers, another class in the same package can create an object of MyClass and call display() successfully. However, if you try to access MyClass from a different package, the compiler will give an error because default access restricts visibility outside the package. This is different from public, which allows access everywhere, and private, which restricts access to within the class only. Understanding default access helps you control how your code is shared within your project packages.