# Limit

> Cut a list down to the first few entries.

The **Limit** step shortens a list. You say how many entries to keep, and it returns that many from the start.

> Dock: Data · Lists · Takes: a list · Returns: a shorter list

Use it to stop work getting out of hand. The top ten results rather than every match. A handful of records while you are still testing. A batch small enough to stay inside an API's rate limit.

> **Slicing inside a field?** You can take the first *N* items of a list or shorten a string directly inside field tokens using [Data Transformation](/build/core-concepts/data-transformation):
> - First *N* list items: `{{ 2.items | keep_first:3 }}`
> - First / last item only: `{{ 2.items | first }}` or `{{ 2.items | last }}`
> - Shorten string length: `{{ 2.description | limit:100 }}`
>
> Use the **Limit** canvas step when passing a sliced list into a downstream [Loop](/build/action-steps/loops) or multi-step branch.

## Setting it up

### Choose the list

Pick it from the lists the field offers, which come from the steps before this one. Choose **Enter it myself** to type a reference such as `{{ 3.results }}` or paste a JSON list instead.

### Say how many to keep

A whole number. Zero is allowed and returns an empty list.

### Choose which end to take them from

The beginning of the list, or the end.

## Order decides which ones survive

Limit has no opinion about which entries are the most important. It takes them from whichever end you chose, and the entries keep the order they were already in.

**So sort first if "the top ten" means anything more than "any ten".** A [Sort](/build/action-steps/sort) ahead of Limit turns it into the highest-value ten.

Taking from the end is the shortcut when the list is already in the order you want and you need its tail. The ten most recent entries, in a list sorted oldest first.

## A list shorter than the limit comes back whole

Asking for ten when the list has four returns all four. It is not an error and nothing is padded.

## What it passes on

The shortened list:

```
{{ 5.$full_result }}
```

The step also counts the items for you: `{{ 5.resultCount }}` is how many it passed on, and `{{ 5.results }}` is the list as the data panel offers it.

## Examples to copy

### The three biggest orders

- A [Sort](/build/action-steps/sort) step first: field `total`, type Number, descending
- Then **Limit**: 3, from the beginning

Without the Sort, this is three arbitrary orders.

### A safe test run

While building a workflow that emails every customer, a Limit of 2 in front of the email step keeps a mistake from reaching everyone.

Remember to remove it before the workflow goes live.

## Limits

Limit works on lists of up to 100,000 items. A longer list is refused with a message naming both numbers, rather than being cut short. Split it first.

## What's Next?

- [Sort](/build/action-steps/sort) — decide which entries end up first
- [Filter](/build/action-steps/filter-items) — keep entries by a test rather than by count
- [Loops & Iteration](/build/action-steps/loops) — do something with each entry that survives