all Python 3Exceptionsexception

KeyboardInterrupt

built-in exceptions

The user interrupted execution (Ctrl+C). Inherits BaseException, so `except Exception` won't catch it.

Syntax

raise KeyboardInterrupt

The classic trap is a bare except: or except BaseException inside a loop — it swallows Ctrl+C and the program stops being interruptible. If you do need to catch it (close a file, save progress), clean up and re-raise. The interrupt lands in the main thread and can arrive between any two instructions, so whatever you were doing may be half-finished.

Examples

try:
    raise KeyboardInterrupt
except KeyboardInterrupt as e:
    print(type(e).__name__)   # → KeyboardInterrupt

See also

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