Integer types

Learn Int, Long, Short and Byte types.

Integer types

In Kotlin, integers come in four types: Byte (8 bit), Short (16 bit), Int (32 bit) and Long (64 bit). Int is the most common; type inference picks Int in most cases.

Long is used for very large numbers (e.g., millisecond timestamps). Long literals are written with an L suffix: val big = 100L.

val a: Byte = 12        // -128..127
val b: Short = 1000     // -32768..32767
val c: Int = 100000     // ~±2 billion
val d: Long = 100L      // very large

Exercise Try Long

At the top level, declare val timestamp: Long = 1700000000L. Inside fun main(), print with println(timestamp).

Show example solution

val timestamp: Long = 1700000000L

fun main() {
    println(timestamp)
}

Which type to choose?

In most cases Int is enough; its range of about ±2 billion covers most applications. For very large numbers (timestamps, large calculations) you use Long.

Byte and Short are used less; the memory saving is small on modern systems and they are promoted to Int in operations. Still, Byte is common when reading binary data.

Test yourself

Which is the most common integer type?
- Int
- Byte
- Short
- Long
Show answer

Int — Int is the default integer type in most cases.
Long suffix
```
val big = 100____
```
Show answer
```
val big = 100L
```
Integer types: match the terms

Byte

8 bit
Short

16 bit
Int

32 bit
Long

64 bit

Next lesson: Floating-point types

We Are Enhancing Your Experience

Cookie Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Analytical Cookies