How to Use tail() in pandas to View Last Rows of DataFrame

In pandas, use the tail() method to view the last rows of a DataFrame or Series. By default, tail() returns the last 5 rows, but you can specify any number by passing it as an argument, like tail(3).

Syntax

The tail() method syntax is simple:

• DataFrame.tail(n=5) or Series.tail(n=5)
• n is the number of rows to return from the end (default is 5)

This method returns the last n rows of the data.

python

DataFrame.tail(n=5)

Example

This example shows how to use tail() on a pandas DataFrame to get the last rows.

python

import pandas as pd

data = {'Name': ['Alice', 'Bob', 'Charlie', 'David', 'Eva', 'Frank'],
        'Age': [24, 27, 22, 32, 29, 25]}
df = pd.DataFrame(data)

# Get last 5 rows (default)
last_five = df.tail()

# Get last 3 rows
last_three = df.tail(3)

print('Last 5 rows:\n', last_five)
print('\nLast 3 rows:\n', last_three)

Output

Last 5 rows:
      Name  Age
1      Bob   27
2  Charlie   22
3    David   32
4      Eva   29
5    Frank   25

Last 3 rows:
      Name  Age
3    David   32
4      Eva   29
5    Frank   25

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when using tail() include:

• Passing a negative number to n, which returns an empty DataFrame.
• Confusing tail() with head(), which returns the first rows.
• Using tail() on an empty DataFrame, which returns an empty DataFrame without error.

Always ensure n is a non-negative integer.

python

import pandas as pd

df = pd.DataFrame({'A': [1, 2, 3]})

# Wrong: negative number returns empty
print('tail(-2):\n', df.tail(-2))

# Right: positive number returns last rows
print('tail(2):\n', df.tail(2))

Output

tail(-2):
 Empty DataFrame
Columns: [A]
Index: []
tail(2):
    A
1  2
2  3

Quick Reference

Method	Description	Default Behavior
tail()	Returns last 5 rows	Returns last 5 rows
tail(n)	Returns last n rows	Returns last n rows
tail(0)	Returns empty DataFrame	Empty DataFrame
tail(-n)	Returns empty DataFrame	Empty DataFrame

Key Takeaways

Use tail() to quickly see the last rows of a DataFrame or Series.

By default, tail() returns 5 rows but you can specify any non-negative number.

Passing a negative number to tail() returns an empty DataFrame.

tail() works safely even on empty DataFrames without errors.

Do not confuse tail() with head(), which returns the first rows.