jQuery :last Selector

What Is :last?

:last (since jQuery 1.0) selects exactly one element — the last in the matched set, in document order. It is a jQuery extension (not CSS) and is deprecated since 3.4. Prefer .last().

// Preferred (official pattern)
$("tr").last();

// Legacy selector (deprecated 3.4)
$("tr:last");

// Same idea as :eq(-1)
$("tr:eq(-1)");

// Not the same as :last-child (many per parent)
$("tr:last-child");

How to Use .last() / :last

Select with CSS first, then take the final match from that set.

1. Build a matched set with a pure CSS selector: $("tr") or $("ul.nav li").
2. Chain .last() to keep only the final element.
3. Use the result — .text(), .addClass(), events.
4. Avoid putting :last inside the selector string in new code.
5. Use :last-child when you need one match per parent.

Pseudocode

build a matched set with a CSS selector
    e.g. all tr elements in document order

keep only the final item in that set
    → result length is 0 or 1

.compare with :last-child:
    for each parent, keep the last child
    → result may contain many elements

Cheat Sheet

Keep these facts handy while picking the last matched element.

Live Preview

Mark the last row with .last(), compare with :last-child, or count matches.

Ready — pick an action and click Run.

jQuery Examples

Short, copy-ready snippets. Use Try It Yourself for a live editor.

$("tr").last().find("td").text(function (i, t) {
  return "[last] " + t;
});

First Row
Middle Row
[last] Last Row

$("li").last().text(function (i, t) {
  return t + " [.last()]";
});
$("li:last-child").text(function (i, t) {
  return t + " (last-child)";
});

$("#out").text(
  ".last() → " + $("li").last().length +
  " | :last-child → " + $("li:last-child").length
);

.last() → 1
:last-child → 2

$("#out").text(
  ".last() → " + $("li").last().text() +
  " | .eq(-1) → " + $("li").eq(-1).text()
);

.last() → Three | .eq(-1) → Three

$("ul.nav li").last().text(function (i, t) {
  return t + " ← last";
});

Home / About / Contact ← last

$("#out").text(
  ".last() → " + $("p").last().text() +
  " | :last → " + $("p:last").text()
);

.last() → Gamma | :last → Gamma

Performance Notes

Pure CSS selection can use the browser engine; :last cannot. Chain .last() after CSS for the best of both.

Key Takeaways