How to Use $skip in Aggregation in MongoDB: Syntax and Examples

In MongoDB aggregation, use the $skip stage to skip a specified number of documents in the pipeline result. Place $skip after stages like $match or $sort to control which documents appear next, commonly for pagination.

Syntax

The $skip stage takes a single numeric argument that specifies how many documents to skip in the aggregation pipeline.

• Number: The count of documents to skip.
• Must be a non-negative integer.
• Used inside an aggregation pipeline array.

json

[
  { "$skip": <number_of_documents_to_skip> }
]

Example

This example shows how to skip the first 3 documents after sorting a collection by age in ascending order.

mongodb

db.users.aggregate([
  { "$sort": { "age": 1 } },
  { "$skip": 3 }
])

Output

[
  { "_id": 4, "name": "Alice", "age": 30 },
  { "_id": 5, "name": "Bob", "age": 32 },
  { "_id": 6, "name": "Carol", "age": 35 }
]

Common Pitfalls

• Using $skip without a $sort stage can lead to unpredictable results because document order is not guaranteed.
• Skipping too many documents may return an empty result set.
• Negative numbers for $skip are invalid and cause errors.

mongodb

/* Wrong: Skipping without sorting may give inconsistent results */
db.users.aggregate([
  { "$skip": 5 }
])

/* Right: Always combine with $sort for predictable output */
db.users.aggregate([
  { "$sort": { "age": 1 } },
  { "$skip": 5 }
])

Quick Reference

Stage	Description	Example
$skip	Skips a specified number of documents	{ "$skip": 10 }
$sort	Sorts documents before skipping	{ "$sort": { "field": 1 } }
Usage	Use $skip after $sort for pagination	[{ "$sort": { "age": 1 } }, { "$skip": 5 }]

Key Takeaways

Use $skip in aggregation to skip a set number of documents in the pipeline.

Always combine $skip with $sort to ensure consistent and predictable results.

The argument to $skip must be a non-negative integer.

Skipping too many documents can result in empty output.

Use $skip for pagination by skipping documents already shown.