How to Get All Keys from a Dictionary in Python

If you want every key from a Python dictionary, use the keys() method.

This is useful when you want to:

see which keys a dictionary has
loop through the keys
check for a key
convert the keys to a list

Quick answer

person = {"name": "Ana", "age": 25, "city": "Lima"}

keys_view = person.keys()
print(keys_view)
print(list(keys_view))

Output:

dict_keys(['name', 'age', 'city'])
['name', 'age', 'city']

Use dict.keys() to get all keys. Convert it with list() if you need a regular list.

Use `keys()` to get all dictionary keys

Call .keys() on a dictionary:

person = {"name": "Ana", "age": 25, "city": "Lima"}

keys_view = person.keys()
print(keys_view)

Output:

dict_keys(['name', 'age', 'city'])

What this does:

person.keys() returns all keys from the dictionary
the result is a dict_keys object
you can print it or loop through it

This is the standard way to get dictionary keys in Python.

If you want more detail on this method, see the dict.keys() method reference.

Convert dictionary keys to a list

Beginners often expect keys() to return a list. It does not.

If you need a normal list, wrap it with list():

person = {"name": "Ana", "age": 25, "city": "Lima"}

key_list = list(person.keys())
print(key_list)

Output:

['name', 'age', 'city']

Use a list when you need list behavior, such as:

indexing
passing keys to code that expects a list
printing in a more familiar format

Example:

person = {"name": "Ana", "age": 25, "city": "Lima"}

key_list = list(person.keys())

print(key_list[0])

Output:

name

Only convert to a list when you actually need it.

Loop through all keys

You can loop through dictionary keys in two common ways.

Loop directly over the dictionary

person = {"name": "Ana", "age": 25, "city": "Lima"}

for key in person:
    print(key)

Output:

name
age
city

Loop with `keys()`

person = {"name": "Ana", "age": 25, "city": "Lima"}

for key in person.keys():
    print(key)

Output:

name
age
city

Both approaches work.

In Python, looping directly over a dictionary is shorter and very common. But using keys() can be clearer when you want to show that you are working only with keys.

If you want to go deeper, see how to loop through a dictionary in Python.

When `keys()` is useful

keys() is helpful when:

you only need the key names
you want clearer code
you want to convert keys to list(), set(), or sorted()
you want to inspect the structure of a dictionary

Example with sorted():

person = {"name": "Ana", "age": 25, "city": "Lima"}

sorted_keys = sorted(person.keys())
print(sorted_keys)

Output:

['age', 'city', 'name']

Example with a key check:

person = {"name": "Ana", "age": 25, "city": "Lima"}

print("age" in person)
print("country" in person)

Output:

True
False

For simple key checks, Python usually uses the dictionary directly with in.

You can learn more in how to check if a key exists in a dictionary in Python.

Common mistakes

Here are some common problems beginners run into.

Using `key()` instead of `keys()`

This is incorrect:

my_dict = {"a": 1, "b": 2}
# my_dict.key()

The correct method name is keys():

my_dict = {"a": 1, "b": 2}
print(my_dict.keys())

Expecting `keys()` to return a list

This prints a dict_keys object, not a list:

my_dict = {"a": 1, "b": 2}
print(my_dict.keys())

If you need a list:

my_dict = {"a": 1, "b": 2}
print(list(my_dict.keys()))

Confusing keys with values

Keys are the names on the left side of the dictionary.

Values are the data stored for each key.

my_dict = {"name": "Ana", "age": 25}

print(my_dict.keys())
print(my_dict.values())

Output:

dict_keys(['name', 'age'])
dict_values(['Ana', 25])

If you need values instead, see the dict.values() method reference.

Using parentheses incorrectly with `dict_keys`

A dict_keys object is not called like a function.

This is wrong:

my_dict = {"a": 1, "b": 2}
keys_view = my_dict.keys()
# keys_view()

Treat it like a result you can print, loop through, or convert to a list.

Helpful debugging commands

If your code is not working, these quick checks can help:

print(my_dict)
print(my_dict.keys())
print(list(my_dict.keys()))
print(type(my_dict.keys()))
for key in my_dict:
    print(key)

These help you confirm:

what the dictionary contains
what keys() returns
whether you need a list
whether your loop is reading the keys correctly

FAQ

Does `keys()` return a list?

No. It returns a dict_keys object. Use list(my_dict.keys()) if you need a list.

Can I loop through a dictionary without `keys()`?

Yes. Looping directly over a dictionary gives its keys.

my_dict = {"a": 1, "b": 2}

for key in my_dict:
    print(key)

How do I get keys and values together?

Use my_dict.items() to get both keys and values.

my_dict = {"a": 1, "b": 2}

for key, value in my_dict.items():
    print(key, value)

If you want to learn that method, see the dict.items() method reference.

How do I check if a key exists?

Use in with the dictionary:

my_dict = {"a": 1, "b": 2}

print("a" in my_dict)

This is the simplest way to test whether a key exists.

You can also read how to access values in a dictionary in Python if you want to use the key after checking it.