Multiple catch blocks

Context: A try block can be followed by multiple catch blocks, each handling a different exception type. This allows fine-grained error recovery. The runtime executes the first catch block whose exception type matches the thrown exception. More specific types must appear before more general ones.

Usage Example

using System;
using System.IO;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        try
        {
            string input = Console.ReadLine();
            int number = int.Parse(input);
            Console.WriteLine(10 / number);
        }
        catch (DivideByZeroException ex)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Cannot divide by zero.");
        }
        catch (FormatException ex)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Invalid number format.");
        }
        catch (IOException ex)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("I/O error.");
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            Console.WriteLine($"Other error: {ex.Message}");
        }
    }
}

Output console (example input “0”)

dotnet run
0
Cannot divide by zero.

Important notes

• Only one catch block executes.
• The generic catch (Exception) must be last.
• You can also have a catch without arguments (not recommended).

Real-world usage example

File processing – Separate FileNotFoundException, UnauthorizedAccessException, IOException, and a final generic catch for logging.
See .NET docs on multiple catch blocks.

Related sections

• 12.1.1 Catching specific exception types
• 12.1.3 finally for cleanup