SQL Formatter & Beautifier - Format SQL Online

What Is SQL Formatting?

SQL formatting rewrites the whitespace in a query so its shape matches its logic. A query that arrives as one 400-character line becomes a block where every clause starts on its own line, each selected column sits on a line of its own, join conditions are indented under their join, and subqueries are visibly nested. The query itself is unchanged — the database executes exactly the same statement, you just get to read it.

How This Formatter Lays Out SQL

• One clause per line: SELECT, FROM, WHERE, GROUP BY, HAVING, ORDER BY and every join form
• AND, OR and ON indented one level under the clause they belong to
• Multi-column SELECT, SET, GROUP BY and ORDER BY lists broken one item per line — single-item lists stay inline
• Subqueries and CREATE TABLE column lists indented as blocks
• Keywords upper-cased; table and column names keep the casing you typed
• COUNT(*) and VARCHAR(100) hug their bracket, while IN (1, 2) takes a space
• Multiple statements separated by a blank line

select u.id,u.name,count(o.id) as orders
from users u left join orders o
on o.user_id=u.id where u.status=1
group by u.id,u.name order by orders desc;

SELECT
    u.id,
    u.name,
    count(o.id) AS orders
FROM users u
LEFT JOIN orders o
    ON o.user_id = u.id
WHERE u.status = 1
GROUP BY
    u.id,
    u.name
ORDER BY orders DESC;

Your Strings and Comments Are Never Touched

The query is tokenised before anything is rewritten, so string literals, quoted identifiers and comments are copied through byte for byte. A comma inside '%a,b%' is part of your LIKE pattern, not a list separator, and it is treated that way. Both -- and /* … */ comments survive in place. Running the formatter twice produces identical output, so it is safe to use repeatedly.

Why Format SQL at All?

Readable SQL is reviewable SQL. When each clause is on its own line, a missing join condition, an accidental cross join, or a filter applied at the wrong nesting level becomes visible instead of hiding inside a wall of text. Consistent layout also makes version control diffs meaningful: a changed line is a changed condition, not a reflowed paragraph.

Supported SQL Dialects

The formatter works on standard SQL syntax and the common extensions, so queries from MySQL and MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Oracle, SQLite, Db2, Redshift and BigQuery all format correctly. Backtick, double-quote and square-bracket identifier quoting are all recognised. Dialect-specific syntax it does not recognise is passed through untouched rather than rewritten — the formatter never guesses.

Formatter, Not Validator

This tool lays out SQL; it does not check that the SQL is correct. A query with a typo in a column name will format perfectly and still fail against your database. Use your database client or EXPLAIN for validation and performance work.

Privacy and Limits

Your query is sent over HTTPS to our formatting service and returned formatted. It is never shared with third parties or used for advertising — but it does leave your browser, so redact anything sensitive first. Connection strings, passwords and real customer data do not belong in a query you paste into any online tool, ours included. Input is capped at 2 MB.

SQL Formatting Best Practices

• Keep one clause per line so the query's shape mirrors its logic
• Upper-case keywords to separate them from your identifiers at a glance
• Alias tables with short, meaningful names and use them consistently
• List columns explicitly rather than relying on SELECT * in production
• Comment the intent of a complex predicate, not the mechanics
• Format before committing so diffs stay about substance

Working with Java as well? The Java formatter applies the same conservative approach to source files, and JSON formatter does the same for API payloads.