SQL Formatter

Picking the dialect

The dialect decides how quotes and placeholders are read. MySQL and BigQuery quote identifiers with backticks, while PostgreSQL and standard SQL use double quotes. Placeholders differ too: $1 in PostgreSQL, ? in MySQL and SQLite, and @name in BigQuery. Pick the database the query runs on, since a placeholder or quote the dialect does not know can stop formatting.

Only keywords are uppercased. Table and column names keep their case, which matters in PostgreSQL, where quoted names are case-sensitive.

When formatting fails

A parse error usually means the text is not pure SQL. Templates from dbt, Jinja, or an ORM, like {{ ref('orders') }} or {% if %}, stop the parser at that point; format the compiled SQL instead, or replace the template parts with placeholder names first.

Consistent formatting pays off in code review: when every query is laid out the same way, the diff checker shows real changes rather than whitespace.

How to use it

1. Paste SQL and choose a dialect.
2. Format the statement.
3. Copy or download the readable result.

Privacy & limitations

Queries stay in your browser. Formatting does not validate database schema, permissions, or query performance.