SQL Formatter Guide: Clauses on Their Own Lines
Learn why putting each major clause on its own line makes queries easier to read and debug.
What is the SQL Formatter?
This is a lightweight SQL formatter, not a full SQL parser. It uppercases common keywords and starts SELECT, FROM, WHERE, GROUP BY, ORDER BY, HAVING, JOIN variants, ON and LIMIT on new lines. It does not re-indent subqueries, align columns or validate your SQL, so complex queries may still need manual tidying. Always check the formatted query against the original before running it.
How to use it
- Paste your SQL into the box.
- Click Format SQL.
- Read the clause-per-line result.
Worked example
For the sample, the result is four lines: SELECT name, age, then FROM users, WHERE age > 21, and ORDER BY name, with keywords uppercased.
Why uppercase keywords?
Because it separates the structure of a query from table and column names at a glance, which makes long queries much faster to scan.
Frequently asked questions
Does it validate my SQL?
No. It only reformats text; a query with a syntax error will still be a syntax error after formatting.
Does it handle subqueries?
Only lightly. Subqueries are not specially re-indented, so long nested queries may still need manual tidying.