SQL Formatter
Format and pretty-print SQL queries instantly online. Uppercases keywords, adds proper indentation, and makes complex queries readable. Free SQL formatter — no signup, runs in your browser.
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SQL (Structured Query Language) is notoriously difficult to read when written as a single line or generated programmatically by ORMs and query builders. Poorly formatted SQL — especially for complex queries with multiple JOINs, nested subqueries, and window functions — makes debugging, code review, and query optimization significantly harder. SQL formatting standardizes indentation, keyword capitalization, and clause placement to produce consistently readable output.
Professional database work routinely involves reading execution plans, profiling slow queries, and reviewing schema migrations. All of these tasks benefit from consistently formatted SQL where SELECT, FROM, WHERE, JOIN, GROUP BY, and ORDER BY clauses each start on their own line with appropriate indentation. Many teams enforce formatting rules in code review; this tool helps bring unformatted queries up to standard before sharing.
This tool uses the sql-formatter library, which supports standard SQL as well as BigQuery, DB2, Hive, MariaDB, MySQL, PostgreSQL, PL/SQL, SingleStoreDB, Spark, SQLite, T-SQL (SQL Server), and Trino dialects. Keywords are uppercased, clauses are placed on new lines, and nested subqueries are indented proportionally to their depth.
Common Use Cases
Formatting ORM-generated queries for debugging
ORMs like SQLAlchemy, Hibernate, ActiveRecord, and Django ORM generate SQL as a single-line string when logging queries. When a query is performing unexpectedly — returning wrong results or running slowly — pasting the generated SQL into the formatter makes the JOIN conditions, subqueries, and WHERE predicates immediately readable so the logic error can be found quickly.
Preparing queries for code review
Database migrations and stored procedures committed to version control should follow consistent formatting so reviewers can focus on logic rather than parsing dense SQL. Formatting the query before opening a pull request ensures that the diff is meaningful: only actual logic changes show up rather than whitespace-only reformatting noise.
Understanding legacy stored procedures
Legacy databases often contain stored procedures written over many years by different developers with different formatting habits. A procedure spanning hundreds of lines with inconsistent indentation and mixed-case keywords is difficult to audit. Running the SQL through a formatter produces a normalized version that reveals the structure — all CASE expressions, CTEs, and subquery boundaries become visually clear.
Documenting SQL in technical specifications
Technical design documents and data engineering specs frequently include example queries to illustrate data transformation logic. Formatted SQL is far more readable in a Confluence page, Notion document, or GitHub wiki than a minified single-line query. Formatting ensures the query reads like the structured documentation it is intended to be.
How to Use the SQL Formatter
- Paste your SQL query in the left panel.
- The formatted SQL appears instantly with uppercase keywords and proper indentation.
- Click "Copy Output" to copy the formatted query.
- Use "Load Example" to see a complex query formatted.