SQL Formatter

How to Use the SQL Formatter

This free online SQL formatter and beautifier transforms messy, unreadable SQL queries into cleanly indented, properly aligned statements. Whether you're formatting complex SELECT queries with multiple JOINs, debugging stored procedures, or preparing SQL for documentation, this SQL beautifier handles everything from simple queries to advanced CTEs and window functions — all in your browser.

Step-by-Step

1. **Paste your SQL** into the input area — messy, minified, or one-line queries are all fine.

2. **Click Format** to beautify the SQL with proper indentation, keyword alignment, and line breaks.

3. **Or click Minify** to compress formatted SQL into a single line for use in application code or API payloads.

Copy the result — Use the Copy button to grab the formatted output.

Features

Smart formatting — Properly indents SELECT, FROM, WHERE, JOIN, GROUP BY, ORDER BY, and HAVING clauses on their own lines.

Minify mode — Compress SQL into a single line, removing unnecessary whitespace and line breaks.

Keyword uppercasing — SQL keywords are displayed in uppercase for readability (SELECT, FROM, WHERE, JOIN).

Subquery handling — Nested subqueries are indented to show their relationship to the outer query.

CTE support — WITH/AS common table expressions are formatted with proper indentation.

Window functions — OVER/PARTITION BY/ORDER BY clauses within window functions are properly aligned.

Preset examples — Load sample queries to see how the formatter handles different SQL patterns.

100% client-side — Your SQL queries never leave your browser. No data is sent to any server.

Common Use Cases

Code Review Preparation — Format SQL before committing to version control or submitting for code review. Readable SQL is easier to review and catches bugs faster.

Debugging Complex Queries — When a query returns unexpected results, formatting it with proper indentation makes it much easier to trace the logic, identify missing JOINs, or spot incorrect WHERE conditions.

Documentation — Format SQL for technical documentation, wiki pages, Confluence articles, or README files where presentation matters.

Migration Scripts — Clean up auto-generated migration SQL from ORMs (Prisma, TypeORM, Django) before committing migration files.

Learning SQL — Paste complex queries from tutorials or Stack Overflow and format them to understand the structure and clause relationships.

Tips for Power Users

- Format your SQL before diffing — use the Text Diff Checker to compare two formatted queries for easier change detection.

- Use minify mode when embedding SQL in application code strings or passing queries via API parameters.

- The formatter handles standard SQL syntax. Vendor-specific extensions (PostgreSQL RETURNING, MySQL LIMIT) are supported.

- For very long queries, the formatted output makes it easier to identify performance bottlenecks like missing indexes on JOIN columns.

- Combine with the Find & Replace tool to rename table aliases or column names across a formatted query.

Why Use This Tool?

This SQL formatter runs entirely in your browser — your queries are never transmitted to any server. This is critical for enterprise developers working with proprietary database schemas, sensitive table names, or queries that reference production data. It's fast, handles edge cases, and produces clean, readable SQL that follows industry conventions.