# dequeueReusableCell(withIdentifier:) Returns a reusable table-view cell object after locating it by its identifier. ``` func dequeueReusableCell(withIdentifier identifier: String) -> UITableViewCell? ``` ## Parameters `identifier` A string identifying the cell object to be reused. This parameter must not be `nil`. ## Return Value A [`UITableViewCell`](/documentation/UIKit/UITableViewCell) object with the associated `identifier`, or `nil` if no such object exists in the reusable-cell queue. ## Discussion For performance reasons, a table view’s data source should generally reuse [`UITableViewCell`](/documentation/UIKit/UITableViewCell) objects when it assigns cells to rows in its [`tableView(_:cellForRowAt:)`](/documentation/UIKit/UITableViewDataSource/tableView(_:cellForRowAt:)) method. A table view maintains a queue or list of [`UITableViewCell`](/documentation/UIKit/UITableViewCell) objects that the data source has marked for reuse. Call this method from your data source object when asked to provide a new cell for the table view. This method dequeues an existing cell if one is available or creates a new one using the class or nib file you previously registered. If no cell is available for reuse and you didn’t register a class or nib file, this method returns `nil`. If you registered a class for the specified `identifier` and a new cell must be created, this method initializes the cell by calling its [`init(style:reuseIdentifier:)`](/documentation/UIKit/UITableViewCell/init(style:reuseIdentifier:)) method. For nib-based cells, this method loads the cell object from the provided nib file. If an existing cell was available for reuse, this method calls the cell’s [`prepareForReuse()`](/documentation/UIKit/UITableViewCell/prepareForReuse()) method instead. --- Copyright © 2026 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. | [Terms of Use](https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/terms/site.html) | [Privacy Policy](https://www.apple.com/privacy/privacy-policy)