<p>MySQL raises ER_TOO_BIG_DISPLAYWIDTH when the declared display width for an integer column exceeds the engine's maximum allowed value.</p>
<p>MySQL Error 1439: ER_TOO_BIG_DISPLAYWIDTH occurs when an integer column is declared with a display width larger than MySQL permits. Remove the width or choose a value within the limit to resolve the issue.</p>
Display width out of range for column '%s' (max = %lu)
Error 1439 surfaces during CREATE TABLE or ALTER TABLE statements when a column definition specifies an integer display width that exceeds MySQL limits. The server halts the statement and returns the message "Display width out of range for column" followed by the column name.
The error relates only to the optional display width attribute of integer types (INT, TINYINT, SMALLINT, MEDIUMINT, BIGINT). It never affects the actual storage size or numeric range, but it blocks DDL operations until corrected.
The immediate cause is declaring a display width greater than 255 for integers, or any width for integer types when the SQL mode NO_UNSIGNED_SUBTRACTION is active in certain versions. Most commonly, developers copy legacy definitions that once relied on ZEROFILL padding and forget current limits.
Mismatched MySQL versions between development and production can also trigger the error because older versions allowed larger widths. Automated ORM migrations that generate out-of-range widths will fail with Error 1439 as well.
Remove the display width entirely or specify a legal value (1-255). The width attribute is cosmetic; modern MySQL ignores it unless ZEROFILL is used, so safest practice is to omit it.
Run ALTER TABLE statements to modify existing columns, or adjust your CREATE TABLE script before execution. Test changes in a staging environment to avoid downtime.
Legacy schema with INT(11) everywhere: Simply convert to INT without width. MySQL 8 ignores display width, so this change is forward-compatible.
ORM auto-migration sets INT(200): Configure your ORM to stop emitting display widths or set a sane default like 11. Regenerate migrations and re-apply.
Omit display widths in all new DDL. Rely on application formatting for leading zeros instead of ZEROFILL.
Maintain consistent MySQL versions across environments and enforce schema review in code review pipelines. Galaxy can flag out-of-range widths during pull-request-style reviews inside its collaborative SQL editor.
ER_TOO_BIG_PRECISION occurs when DECIMAL precision exceeds limits. ER_INVALID_DECIMAL occurs for invalid scale. These errors share the theme of exceeding type metadata limits and are fixed by choosing legal values.
Declaring INT(300) or similar values that cross the 255 limit instantly triggers the error.
ORMs or code generators that default to excessive widths produce schemas that fail in newer MySQL versions.
Old schemas combine large display widths with ZEROFILL for padding, incompatible with current rules.
Running migrations generated on MySQL 5.6 against MySQL 8.0 surfaces stricter width checks.
Precision specified for DECIMAL is larger than allowed maximum.
DECIMAL scale exceeds the column's precision or maximum scale.
Precision or scale values are invalid numbers.
Inserted value exceeds column length, unrelated to display width but often encountered together during schema clean-ups.
No. MySQL 8 ignores integer display width except when combined with ZEROFILL, so you can safely omit it.
No. Display width is cosmetic. Storage size remains 4 bytes for INT.
You cannot bypass the check. You must edit the DDL to use an allowed width.
Galaxy highlights invalid column definitions in real-time and lets teams endorse fixed queries, preventing bad DDL from reaching production.
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