How to Rename a Column in PostgreSQL
Last updated July 24, 2026 · By the SaturnSQL team
Use ALTER TABLE ... RENAME COLUMN old TO new. It is a metadata-only change, and Postgres rewrites references in views and constraints automatically.
ALTER TABLE orders RENAME COLUMN amount TO order_amount;Unlike most databases, dependent Postgres views keep working after the rename because they reference the column internally by number, not name. Application code is what breaks; grep it before renaming.
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