PythonHow-ToBeginner · 3 min read

How to Iterate Over Enum in Python: Simple Guide

To iterate over an enum.Enum in Python, use a for loop directly on the enum class. Each loop gives you an enum member, and you can access its .name and .value properties.

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Syntax

Use a for loop on the enum class to get each member. Access .name for the member's name and .value for its value.

python

from enum import Enum

class Color(Enum):
    RED = 1
    GREEN = 2
    BLUE = 3

for color in Color:
    print(color.name, color.value)

Output

RED 1 GREEN 2 BLUE 3

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Example

This example shows how to define an enum and loop through all its members to print their names and values.

python

from enum import Enum

class Status(Enum):
    PENDING = 'pending'
    RUNNING = 'running'
    COMPLETED = 'completed'

for status in Status:
    print(f'Status name: {status.name}, value: {status.value}')

Output

Status name: PENDING, value: pending Status name: RUNNING, value: running Status name: COMPLETED, value: completed

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Common Pitfalls

One common mistake is trying to iterate over enum members by looping over enum.__members__ keys or values incorrectly. Also, avoid iterating over the enum instance instead of the enum class.

Wrong way:

for item in Status.PENDING:
    print(item)

This causes an error because Status.PENDING is a single enum member, not iterable.

Right way:

for item in Status:
    print(item)

python

from enum import Enum

class Status(Enum):
    PENDING = 'pending'
    RUNNING = 'running'

# Wrong way - will raise TypeError
# for item in Status.PENDING:
#     print(item)

# Right way
for item in Status:
    print(item.name, item.value)

Output

PENDING pending RUNNING running

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Quick Reference

Action	Code Example
Define enum	class Color(Enum): RED = 1
Iterate enum	for c in Color: print(c.name, c.value)
Access name	color.name
Access value	color.value

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Key Takeaways

Use a for loop directly on the enum class to iterate over members.

Access each member's name with .name and value with .value.

Do not try to iterate over a single enum member instance.

Enum members are iterable only via the enum class, not instances.

Use enum.Enum from the standard library to create enums.