How to Drop a Column in MySQL
Last updated July 24, 2026 · By the SaturnSQL team
Use ALTER TABLE ... DROP COLUMN. On InnoDB this rebuilds or instantly alters the table depending on version; on large tables expect it to take time and lock metadata briefly.
ALTER TABLE orders DROP COLUMN internal_notes;Drop several at once
Combine drops into one ALTER so the table is rebuilt once, not N times.
ALTER TABLE orders
DROP COLUMN internal_notes,
DROP COLUMN legacy_flag;Run this in SaturnSQL
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