Java 25 (LTS) reference · Map and HashMap Methods

Java Map getOrDefault() Method

Return the value for a key, or a default value if the key isn't present. Avoids null checks.

Java 25 (LTS) Since Java 8

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Syntax

map.getOrDefault(key, defaultValue)

Parameters

Parameter	Description
`key` Object	The key.
`defaultValue` V	Returned when the key is missing.

Return value

The value or the default.

Examples

Default for missing keys

import java.util.*;

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Map<String, Integer> stock = Map.of("mug", 12);
        System.out.println(stock.getOrDefault("mug", 0));
        System.out.println(stock.getOrDefault("kettle", 0));
    }
}

Output

12
0

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Counting with a default

import java.util.*;

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Map<Character, Integer> counts = new TreeMap<>();
        for (char c : "banana".toCharArray()) counts.put(c, counts.getOrDefault(c, 0) + 1);
        System.out.println(counts);
    }
}