Selection Sort Visualizer — Animated, Step-by-Step
Animated selection sort with step controls, speed, custom input, live comparison/swap counters and pseudocode. Runs in your browser.
Code examples
Ready-to-copy reference implementations. Free to use in your own projects and assignments.
How to use
- 1 Press Play to watch each pass scan for the minimum and swap it into place.
- 2 Use Step to advance one comparison at a time as the minimum is tracked.
- 3 Type your own numbers into Custom input and press Apply.
- 4 Follow the highlighted pseudocode and the live comparison / swap counters.
Why use this tool
- See how each pass selects the smallest remaining value and places it at the front.
- Notice it always does the same number of comparisons regardless of input order.
- Metrics show why it makes at most n−1 swaps — useful when writes are expensive.
- Runs entirely in your browser. No signup, no uploads.
Frequently asked questions
What is selection sort?
Selection sort divides the array into a sorted and an unsorted part. Each pass scans the unsorted part for the minimum and swaps it to the boundary.
What is the time complexity of selection sort?
O(n²) in all cases — best, average, and worst — because the scan for the minimum always examines every remaining element.
Is selection sort stable?
No. The long-distance swap of the minimum can move an equal element past another, changing relative order. A linked-list variant can be made stable.
When is selection sort useful?
When the number of writes must be minimized — it performs at most n−1 swaps, far fewer than bubble sort. Otherwise insertion sort is usually preferred.
What is Selection Sort Visualizer?
A Selection Sort Visualizer animates how selection sort repeatedly finds the minimum of the unsorted region and swaps it to the boundary. It shows why the algorithm always performs O(n²) comparisons but at most n−1 swaps.
Selection Sort Visualizer is a free algorithm utility by Zerethon Tools. Animated selection sort with step controls, speed, custom input, live comparison/swap counters and pseudocode. Runs in your browser. Runs entirely in the browser — no signup, no upload.
- Category
- Algorithm
- Pricing
- Free
- Privacy
- Browser-based
- Signup
- Not required
Privacy
Your data never leaves your browser unless explicitly stated. Selection Sort Visualizer runs entirely client-side — no server upload, no logging, no tracking of your input.
New to this? Read the step-by-step explanation with Big-O analysis: Learn Sorting Algorithms →
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