jQuery .first() Method

What Is .first()?

.first() reduces the current matched set to the first element (index 0) and returns a new jQuery object. No arguments. Available since jQuery 1.4.

$("li").first()        → first list item
$("ul li").first()     → first li in any ul (document order)

set:  [0] [1] [2] [3] [4]
       ↑
     .first()

.first()  ===  .eq(0)
.last()   ===  .eq(-1)

How to Use .first()

Build a set, then keep only the element at index zero.

1. Select the elements you care about (li, .card, and so on).
2. Call .first() — no arguments.
3. Work with the one-element (or empty) result.
4. Chain after .find() / .filter() when the set is built in steps.

Pseudocode

set = current jQuery collection

if set.length == 0:
    return empty jQuery

return jQuery(set[0])   // new one-element set

Cheat Sheet

Keep these facts handy while taking the first match.

Live Preview

Compare .first(), .eq(0), and .last() on a short list.

$("li").first()
matched: 1
text: This is some text in a list.

/* index 0 in the set */

jQuery Examples

Short, copy-ready snippets. Open a browser console with jQuery loaded, or use Try It Yourself for a live editor.

var $first = $("ul li").first();
console.log($first.length);
console.log($first.text().trim());

1
This is some text in a list.

var $a = $("li").first();
var $b = $("li").eq(0);

console.log($a.text().trim());
console.log($b.text().trim());
console.log("same node:", $a[0] === $b[0]);

list item 1
list item 1
same node: true

console.log("first:", $("li").first().text().trim());
console.log("last:", $("li").last().text().trim());
console.log("total:", $("li").length);

first: list item 1
last: list item 5
total: 5

var $hit = $("#menu").find("li").first();
console.log($hit.text().trim());
console.log("from find count:", $("#menu").find("li").length);

Home
from find count: 3

var $hit = $(".missing").first();
console.log("length:", $hit.length);
console.log("text:", JSON.stringify($hit.text()));

length: 0
text: ""

Performance Notes

.first() itself is cheap. Cost comes from building a large set first — scope with an id or class, then call .first().

Key Takeaways