PostgreSQL - REPLACE() Function

Last Updated : 4 Aug, 2026

REPLACE() function in PostgreSQL replaces all occurrences of a specified substring within a string with another substring.

  • Replace specific text within a string.
  • Modify text values without changing the original data.
  • Clean and format string data.
  • Update repeated text efficiently.

Syntax

REPLACE(string, from_substring, to_substring)

Where:

  • string: The original string to be modified.
  • from_substring: The substring to search for.
  • to_substring: The substring that replaces the matching text.

Example 1: Replace Text in a String

The following query replaces "World" with "PostgreSQL" in a string.

Query:

SELECT REPLACE('Hello World', 'World', 'PostgreSQL') AS UpdatedText;

Output:

17
  • REPLACE() function replaces every occurrence of World with PostgreSQL.

Example 2: Replace Text in a Table Column

Consider the following Courses table.

CREATE TABLE Courses (
    CourseID INT,
    CourseName VARCHAR(100),
    Instructor VARCHAR(50)
);
INSERT INTO Courses VALUES
(101, 'Basic SQL', 'John Smith'),
(102, 'Advanced SQL', 'Emily Davis'),
(103, 'SQL for Beginners', 'Michael Brown');

The following query replaces SQL with PostgreSQL in the CourseName column.

Query:

SELECT
    CourseName,
    REPLACE(CourseName, 'SQL', 'PostgreSQL') AS UpdatedCourse
FROM Courses;

Output:

18
  • REPLACE() function replaces all occurrences of SQL with PostgreSQL in each course name.

Example 3: Replace Multiple Occurrences

The following query replaces all occurrences of "-" with "/" in a date string.

Query:

SELECT REPLACE('2026-08-02', '-', '/') AS FormattedDate;

Output:

20
  • REPLACE() function replaces every occurrence of - with / in the string.
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