A pointer is just a variable holding a memory address. Imagine you have a paper with an address (like a postman). That paper is the pointer. When you walk to that address and you check what is there, that's when you dereference it. That's all. Just try to not overthink it, I think that's when people get lost. So in short: a pointer is just a memory address. When you dereference it you go to that address and you check what is there. And the type of the pointer simply tells you what kind of data do you have at that address. Like void* is "something" which is a special animal, int* is an int, double* is a double, etc... Answer from simrego on reddit.com
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › c language › c-pointers
Pointers in C - GeeksforGeeks
A pointer is a variable that stores the memory address of another variable. Instead of holding a direct value, it holds the address where the value is stored in memory. It is the backbone of low-level memory manipulation in C.
Published November 14, 2025
W3Schools
w3schools.com › c › c_pointers.php
C Pointers
In the example above, we used the pointer variable to get the memory address of a variable (used together with the & reference operator). You can also get the value of the variable the pointer points to, by using the * operator (the dereference operator):
Best Pointers Explanation
Q: Where do you live? A: At , , . That's a pointer. Now, at that address, there is a building with many floors. Q: On what floor do you live? A: Floor X. That's a pointer. Now, at that address, there are many apartments. Q: What's your apartment's number? A: It's Y. That's a pointer. A program manipulates data. That data is stored somewhere in memory. To access that memory we need a reference to it, that's what variables are. But sometimes, we need to manipulate the location of the memory itself. That's what pointers do, they are variables that contain the location information. Just like Amazon will ask for your house address so that it can deliver your package, you don't send your house to Amazon, only its location information. An index in an array is a pointer. An offset on the stack is a pointer. A virtual 64-bits address is a pointer. etc. More on reddit.com
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December 15, 2023Storing flags in pointers (in C)
DO NOT DO THIS More on reddit.com
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February 27, 2021Whats the best video to explain pointers in c?
If you have a basic understanding of pointers, just try doing assignments and understand what you messed up (when you do mess up). Getting your hands dirty will help a lot more than listening More on reddit.com
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August 11, 2024Can someone explain pointers (in C) to me like I'm 10?
a pointer is an address More on reddit.com
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September 4, 2011What are the types of pointers in C?
There are various types of pointers. Here are a few more: · Null Pointer · Void Pointer · Wild Pointer · Near pointer · Complex pointer · Huge pointer · Far pointer · Dangling pointer
byjus.com
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Pointers in C
Why do we use pointers in C?
We use pointers to access the memory of the said variable and then manipulate their addresses in a program. The pointers provide the language with flexibility and power. They store the addresses of other variables in the program. There are various uses of the pointers in C language. Let us look at some of them: · Dynamic allocation of memory: We can allocate the memory dynamically in C language when we use the calloc() and malloc() functions. The pointers are primarily used in such cases. · Structures, Functions, and Arrays: We generally use the pointers in the C language in the cases of struc
byjus.com
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Pointers in C
What is the void pointer in C?
The void pointer is also known as the generic pointer in the C language. This pointer has no standard data type, and we create it with the use of the keyword void. The void pointer is generally used for the storage of any variable’s address.
byjus.com
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Pointers in C
Reddit
reddit.com › r/cprogramming › i'm struggling to understand pointers in c—can someone explain in simple terms or link a really clear resource?
r/cprogramming on Reddit: I'm Struggling to understand pointers in C—can someone explain in simple terms or link a really clear resource?
June 17, 2025 - When you walk to that address and you check what is there, that's when you dereference it. That's all. Just try to not overthink it, I think that's when people get lost. So in short: a pointer is just a memory address.
TutorialsPoint
tutorialspoint.com › home › cprogramming › c pointers overview
C Pointers Explained
June 10, 2012 - Here, type is the pointer's base type; it must be a valid C data type and var-name is the name of the pointer variable. The asterisk * used to declare a pointer is the same asterisk used for multiplication. However, in this statement the asterisk is being used to designate a variable as a pointer.
Steve's Data Tips and Tricks
spsanderson.com › steveondata › posts › 2025-03-05
The Complete Guide to C Pointers: Understanding Memory and Dereferencing – Steve’s Data Tips and Tricks
March 5, 2025 - Discover the fundamentals of pointers in C programming, including memory addresses, pointer variables, and dereferencing. This comprehensive guide is designed for beginners, providing clear explanations and practical examples to help you master pointers and enhance your coding skills.
Programiz
programiz.com › c-programming › c-pointers
C Pointers (With Examples)
Here, 5 is assigned to the c variable. And, the address of c is assigned to the pc pointer. To get the value of the thing pointed by the pointers, we use the * operator. For example: int* pc, c; c = 5; pc = &c; printf("%d", *pc); // Output: 5
freeCodeCamp
freecodecamp.org › news › pointers-in-c-are-not-as-difficult-as-you-think
Pointers in C Explained – They're Not as Difficult as You Think
August 11, 2020 - They store a garbage value (that is, memory address) of a byte that we don't know is reserved or not (remember int digit = 42;, we reserved a memory address when we declared it). Suppose we dereference a wild pointer and assign a value to the memory address it is pointing at. This will lead to unexpected behaviour since we will write data at a memory block that may be free or reserved. To make sure that we do not have a wild pointer, we can initialize a pointer with a NULL value, making it a null pointer.
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Pointer_(computer_programming)
Pointer (computer programming) - Wikipedia
3 weeks ago - This can be that of another value located in computer memory, or in some cases, that of memory-mapped computer hardware. A pointer references a location in memory, and obtaining the value stored at that location is known as dereferencing the pointer.
Mppolytechnic
mppolytechnic.ac.in › mp-staff › notes_upload_photo › CS52024-03-2020.pdf pdf
Pointers in C Programming with examples
variable is stored in a memory address, which helps the C program to find that value when it is ... So let’s say the address assigned to variable num is 0x7fff5694dc58, which means whatever value we · would be assigning to num should be stored at the location: 0x7fff5694dc58. See the diagram below. ... This program shows how a pointer is declared and used.
BYJUS
byjus.com › gate › pointers-in-c
Pointers in C
August 1, 2022 - The pointers in C language refer to the variables that hold the addresses of different variables of similar data types. We use pointers to access the memory of the said variable and then manipulate their addresses in a program.
WsCube Tech
wscubetech.com › resources › c-programming › pointers
Pointers in C Language (Uses, Types, Examples)
August 29, 2025 - Learn about pointers in C, their types, and uses with examples. Understand pointer basics, operations, and memory management in C programming.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/c_programming › best pointers explanation
r/C_Programming on Reddit: Best Pointers Explanation
December 15, 2023 -
Could anyone recommend a video that provides a clear explanation of pointers in C programming? I've been struggling to understand them, and I'm looking for a resource that breaks down the concept effectively.
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Q: Where do you live? A: At , , . That's a pointer. Now, at that address, there is a building with many floors. Q: On what floor do you live? A: Floor X. That's a pointer. Now, at that address, there are many apartments. Q: What's your apartment's number? A: It's Y. That's a pointer. A program manipulates data. That data is stored somewhere in memory. To access that memory we need a reference to it, that's what variables are. But sometimes, we need to manipulate the location of the memory itself. That's what pointers do, they are variables that contain the location information. Just like Amazon will ask for your house address so that it can deliver your package, you don't send your house to Amazon, only its location information. An index in an array is a pointer. An offset on the stack is a pointer. A virtual 64-bits address is a pointer. etc.
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Why don't you explain what you know and we'll go from there. It doesn't matter if you get it wrong. You are learning, you are supposed to get it wrong (or incomplete).
Medium
medium.com › @Dev_Frank › pointers-in-c-422cccdbf2f6
POINTERS IN C. Pointer is a variable that stores the… | by Dev Frank | Medium
February 16, 2024 - Pointers are variable that stores the memory address of another variable. Instead of holding the actual value, it holds the location (address) of where the value is stored in the computer’s memory.
YouTube
youtube.com › bro code
C pointers explained👉 - YouTube
C pointers tutorial example explained#C #pointers #tutorialvoid printAge(int *pAge){ printf("You are %d years old\n", *pAge); //dereference}int main(){ /...
Published October 6, 2021 Views 166K
freeCodeCamp
freecodecamp.org › news › pointers-in-c-programming
How to Use Pointers in C Programming
May 3, 2023 - We can think of it as a way to refer to a specific location in memory. To declare a pointer variable in C, we use the asterisk * symbol before the variable name.
Scaler
scaler.com › home › topics › pointers in c
What are Pointers in C? | Scaler Topics
April 28, 2022 - There are different types of pointers such as null, void, wild, etc. Every variable we define in our program is stored at a specific location in the memory. ... In our computer’s memory, there are now 4 bytes somewhere that have the binary value of 50, with some value for its address, like 0x123:
YouTube
youtube.com › watch
Pointers in C for Absolute Beginners – Full Course - YouTube
Finally understand pointers in C in this course for absolute beginners. Pointers are variables that store the memory address of another variable. They "point...
Published June 15, 2023
YouTube
youtube.com › watch
A Quick Introduction to C Pointers - YouTube
This video is a beginner-friendly introduction to Pointers using the C programming language.We go over the main types of pointer declarations, as well as a d...
Published July 2, 2024
Florida State University
cs.fsu.edu › ~myers › c++ › notes › pointers1.html
Pointer Basics
Although all pointers are addresses (and therefore represented similarly in data storage), we want the type of the pointer to indicate what is being pointed to. Therefore, C treats pointers to different types AS different types themselves.
YouTube
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Explaining Pointers Until I Go Insane - YouTube
To try everything Brilliant has to offer—free—for a full 30 days, visit https://brilliant.org/Mults . You’ll also get 20% off an annual premium subscription....
Published April 20, 2024 Views 265K