How to Display DataFrame in pandas: Syntax and Examples

To display a DataFrame in pandas, simply type the DataFrame variable name in a Jupyter notebook or use print() in scripts. You can also use df.head() to show the first few rows or df.tail() for the last rows.

Syntax

To display a DataFrame, you can use the following methods:

• print(df): Prints the entire DataFrame in the console.
• df: In interactive environments like Jupyter, typing the variable name shows a formatted table.
• df.head(n): Shows the first n rows (default 5).
• df.tail(n): Shows the last n rows (default 5).

python

print(df)
df

df.head()
df.tail()

Example

This example creates a simple DataFrame and shows how to display it using different methods.

python

import pandas as pd

data = {'Name': ['Alice', 'Bob', 'Charlie', 'David', 'Eva'],
        'Age': [25, 30, 35, 40, 45],
        'City': ['New York', 'Los Angeles', 'Chicago', 'Houston', 'Phoenix']}

df = pd.DataFrame(data)

print("Using print():")
print(df)

print("\nUsing df.head():")
print(df.head(3))

print("\nUsing df.tail():")
print(df.tail(2))

Output

Using print():
      Name  Age         City
0    Alice   25     New York
1      Bob   30  Los Angeles
2  Charlie   35      Chicago
3    David   40      Houston
4      Eva   45      Phoenix

Using df.head():
      Name  Age         City
0    Alice   25     New York
1      Bob   30  Los Angeles
2  Charlie   35      Chicago

Using df.tail():
    Name  Age     City
3  David   40  Houston
4    Eva   45  Phoenix

Common Pitfalls

Some common mistakes when displaying DataFrames include:

• Using print(df) in Jupyter notebooks instead of just typing df for a nicer table view.
• Trying to display very large DataFrames fully, which can flood the console.
• Not using head() or tail() to preview data when the DataFrame is large.

Always preview data with df.head() to avoid overwhelming output.

python

import pandas as pd

data = {'A': range(1000)}
df = pd.DataFrame(data)

# Wrong: printing entire large DataFrame
#print(df)  # This floods the console

# Right: preview first 5 rows
print(df.head())

Output

   A
0  0
1  1
2  2
3  3
4  4

Quick Reference

Method	Description
print(df)	Prints the entire DataFrame in console
df	Displays DataFrame in Jupyter with formatting
df.head(n)	Shows first n rows (default 5)
df.tail(n)	Shows last n rows (default 5)

Key Takeaways

Use print(df) or just df in Jupyter to display DataFrames.

Use df.head() or df.tail() to preview parts of large DataFrames.

Avoid printing very large DataFrames fully to prevent flooding the console.

Typing the DataFrame variable in Jupyter shows a clean, formatted table automatically.