How to Comment Out Multiple Lines in Python: Formatting & Shortcuts

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Quickly turn multiple lines into comments in Python

Co-authored by Kevin Burnett and Kyle Smith

Last Updated: June 24, 2024 Fact Checked

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Using the Hash Character

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Using a Multiple-Line String

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Keyboard Shortcuts

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Video

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Expert Interview

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Q&A

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Tips

Trying to comment out a block of code in Python? There are multiple easy methods to do so! You can use the hash character # or turn the lines into a string. The keyboard shortcut for turning lines into code varies depending on the text editor you’re using. This wikiHow shows you how to comment out multiple lines in Python.

Things You Should Know

Place a # and a space before each line of code.
Alternatively, place """ before and after the block of code.
To use a keyboard shortcut, select the block of code, then press the key combination.

Section 1 of 3:

Using the Hash Character

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The hash character is used in Python for single-line and multiple-line comments. Python is a great programming language for beginners and experienced programmers. Comments are an essential part of learning to program in Python.^{[1]
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Section 2 of 3:

Using a Multiple-Line String

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Type """ before and after the lines. This turns the lines into a multiple-line string called a docstring. When a string isn’t assigned to a variable, Python will skip it when running the code.^{[2]
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- You can also use three single-quotes instead (''').
- Docstrings are typically used for programming documentation and code summaries. Python’s style guide recommends using the hash character (#) for multi-line block comments.^{[3]
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- If you’re just getting started with Python, check out how to turn integers into strings.
EXPERT TIP

Kevin Burnett
Software Developer
Kevin Burnett is a Software Developer with over 20 years of professional experience. He works for SpiffWorkflow, a Python Process Automation tool for organizations. Prior to SpiffWorkflow, he spent the majority of his career at Rosetta Stone, a language-learning software company. He has experience with both front and back-end development and works primarily in Python, Ruby, and JavaScript. He attended the first RailsConf and the most recent PyCon US. He received an MBA and a BA in Computer Science and Spanish from Eastern Mennonite University.

Kevin Burnett
Software Developer

Python commenting scales strategies. For commenting Python, use # symbols and triple quotes. # contains small chunks well, while """ """ wraps multiline snippets cleanly. The former scales better as comments lengthen, improving readability.

Section 3 of 3:

Keyboard Shortcuts

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Use a keyboard shortcut. Many text editors include a keyboard shortcut for commenting out multiple lines of code. Select the code and press the shortcut to turn the selected lines into comments. Here are shortcuts for common text editors:
- Visual Studio: Press Ctrl+K then Ctrl+C
- Spyder IDE: Ctrl+1
- IDLE: Alt+4
- Jupyter Notebook: Ctrl+/
- PyCharm: Ctrl+⇧ Shift+/

Community Q&A

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How to apply # on all lines of code?

Bhoimus

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First, select the entirety of the code using Ctrl+A. Then, use the keyboard shortcut for commenting code set for your IDE. Default key combinations for popular IDEs are given in the last step above.

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