LIMIT and OFFSET for pagination in MySQL

Introduction

LIMIT and OFFSET help you get a small part of data from a big list. This is useful when you want to show data page by page.

Showing 10 products per page on an online store.

Displaying 5 comments at a time under a blog post.

Loading 20 users per page in an admin panel.

Fetching a few rows from a large table to improve speed.

Syntax

MySQL

SELECT columns FROM table
LIMIT number_of_rows OFFSET skip_rows;

LIMIT sets how many rows to get.

OFFSET sets how many rows to skip before starting to get rows.

Examples

Get the first 5 rows from employees table.

MySQL

SELECT * FROM employees
LIMIT 5;

Skip first 10 rows, then get next 5 rows.

MySQL

SELECT * FROM employees
LIMIT 5 OFFSET 10;

Another way in MySQL: skip 10 rows, then get 5 rows.

MySQL

SELECT * FROM employees
LIMIT 10, 5;

Sample Program

This creates a small employees table with 10 rows. Then it selects 3 rows starting after skipping 4 rows.

MySQL

CREATE TABLE employees (id INT, name VARCHAR(20));
INSERT INTO employees VALUES
(1, 'Alice'), (2, 'Bob'), (3, 'Carol'), (4, 'Dave'), (5, 'Eve'),
(6, 'Frank'), (7, 'Grace'), (8, 'Hank'), (9, 'Ivy'), (10, 'Jack');

SELECT * FROM employees
LIMIT 3 OFFSET 4;

Important Notes

OFFSET starts counting from zero, so OFFSET 0 means start from the first row.

Using LIMIT without OFFSET gets rows from the start.

In MySQL, you can also write LIMIT offset, count instead of LIMIT count OFFSET offset.

Summary

LIMIT controls how many rows you get.

OFFSET controls where to start getting rows.

They help show data page by page in a simple way.

Practice

1. What does the LIMIT clause do in a MySQL query?

easy

A. It controls how many rows the query returns.

B. It controls the order of the rows returned.

C. It filters rows based on a condition.

D. It changes the database schema.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of LIMIT

   The LIMIT clause restricts the number of rows returned by a query.

2. Step 2: Compare with other options

   Ordering is done by ORDER BY, filtering by WHERE, and schema changes by DDL commands, not LIMIT.

3. Final Answer:

   It controls how many rows the query returns. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   LIMIT = number of rows [OK]

Hint: LIMIT sets max rows returned, like page size [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing LIMIT with ORDER BY
• Thinking LIMIT filters rows by condition
• Assuming LIMIT changes table structure

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax using the OFFSET keyword to get 10 rows starting from the 7th row in MySQL?

easy

A. SELECT * FROM table LIMIT 6, 10;

B. SELECT * FROM table LIMIT 10 OFFSET 6;

C. SELECT * FROM table OFFSET 6 LIMIT 10;

D. SELECT * FROM table LIMIT 10, 6;

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand LIMIT and OFFSET syntax

   MySQL supports both LIMIT count OFFSET offset and LIMIT offset, count syntax.

2. Step 2: Identify correct syntax for 10 rows starting at 7th row

   OFFSET 6 means skip first 6 rows, then LIMIT 10 means get next 10 rows. SELECT * FROM table LIMIT 10 OFFSET 6; uses this correctly.

3. Final Answer:

   SELECT * FROM table LIMIT 10 OFFSET 6; -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   LIMIT count OFFSET offset = correct syntax [OK]

Hint: Use LIMIT count OFFSET offset for clarity [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Swapping LIMIT and OFFSET values
• Using OFFSET before LIMIT incorrectly
• Confusing LIMIT offset,count with LIMIT count OFFSET offset

3. Given the table users with rows numbered by id from 1 to 20, what rows will this query return?
SELECT * FROM users ORDER BY id ASC LIMIT 5 OFFSET 10;

medium

A. Rows with id 1 to 5

B. Rows with id 6 to 10

C. Rows with id 11 to 15

D. Rows with id 16 to 20

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand OFFSET and LIMIT effect on rows

   OFFSET 10 skips first 10 rows (id 1 to 10), LIMIT 5 returns next 5 rows.

2. Step 2: Identify which rows are returned

   After skipping 10 rows, rows with id 11 to 15 are returned.

3. Final Answer:

   Rows with id 11 to 15 -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   OFFSET 10 + LIMIT 5 = rows 11-15 [OK]

Hint: OFFSET skips rows, LIMIT picks next rows [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Counting OFFSET as inclusive row
• Mixing up OFFSET and LIMIT order
• Assuming OFFSET starts at 1 instead of 0

4. Identify the error in this query intended to get 5 rows starting from the 3rd row:
SELECT * FROM products LIMIT OFFSET 3, 5;

medium

A. Syntax error: LIMIT should come before OFFSET without comma.

B. OFFSET cannot be used with LIMIT in this way.

C. No error; query is correct.

D. LIMIT and OFFSET are reversed in order.

Solution

1. Step 1: Check correct syntax for LIMIT and OFFSET

   Correct syntax is either LIMIT count OFFSET offset or LIMIT offset, count without the word OFFSET in the second form.

2. Step 2: Identify error in given query

   The query uses both LIMIT and OFFSET keywords together incorrectly with a comma, causing syntax error.

3. Final Answer:

   Syntax error: LIMIT should come before OFFSET without comma. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   LIMIT offset,count or LIMIT count OFFSET offset [OK]

Hint: Use either LIMIT offset,count or LIMIT count OFFSET offset [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Mixing LIMIT and OFFSET keywords with commas
• Using OFFSET before LIMIT
• Adding OFFSET keyword with comma syntax

5. You want to display page 4 of a product list, showing 15 products per page, ordered by created_at descending. Which query correctly uses LIMIT and OFFSET?

hard

A. SELECT * FROM products ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 45 OFFSET 15;

B. SELECT * FROM products ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 60 OFFSET 15;

C. SELECT * FROM products ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 15, 45;

D. SELECT * FROM products ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 15 OFFSET 45;

Solution

1. Step 1: Calculate OFFSET for page 4 with 15 items per page

   Page 1 shows rows 0-14, page 2 rows 15-29, page 3 rows 30-44, so page 4 starts at offset 45.

2. Step 2: Write query with LIMIT and OFFSET

   LIMIT 15 means 15 rows per page, OFFSET 45 skips first 45 rows. SELECT * FROM products ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 15 OFFSET 45; matches this.

3. Final Answer:

   SELECT * FROM products ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 15 OFFSET 45; -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   OFFSET = (page-1)*page_size = 45 [OK]

Hint: OFFSET = (page-1) * page_size, LIMIT = page_size [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Swapping LIMIT and OFFSET values
• Calculating OFFSET incorrectly
• Using LIMIT as total rows instead of per page