How to List Databases in PostgreSQL

Last updated July 25, 2026 · By the SaturnSQL team

In psql, \l (or \l+ for sizes) lists all databases on the server. From SQL, query pg_database; pg_database_size gives each database's on-disk size.

psql

\l
\l+

Plain SQL (works from any client)

SELECT datname,
       pg_size_pretty(pg_database_size(datname)) AS size
FROM pg_database
WHERE NOT datistemplate
ORDER BY pg_database_size(datname) DESC;

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