How to RENAME TABLE in MariaDB

Galaxy Glossary

How do I rename a table in MariaDB without losing data?

RENAME TABLE changes the name of one or more tables in a single, atomic operation.

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Description

Example H2

Example H3

What does RENAME TABLE do in MariaDB?

RENAME TABLE instantly changes a table’s name without copying data. When multiple tables are listed, the operation is atomic—either all names change or none.

How do I rename a single table?

Issue RENAME TABLE old_name TO new_name;. The statement requires ALTER privilege on the table and CREATE, DROP on the database.

Example: rename Customers to Clients

RENAME TABLE Customers TO Clients;

How can I rename several tables at once?

Chain pairs with commas: RENAME TABLE t1 TO t1_old, t2 TO t2_old;. If any pair fails, MariaDB rolls back all changes.

Batch ecommerce example

RENAME TABLE Orders TO Orders_2023, OrderItems TO OrderItems_2023;

Can I move a table to another database?

Yes. Prefix the new name with the target schema: RENAME TABLE shop.Orders TO archive.Orders_2023;. The table’s definition and data relocate.

What happens to foreign keys and views?

Constraints automatically update. Views, triggers, and stored procedures using the old name break; refresh or alter them after the rename.

Best practices for safe renames

Create a backup beforehand, schedule during low-traffic windows, and update application code via feature flags to avoid runtime errors.

Why How to RENAME TABLE in MariaDB is important

How to RENAME TABLE in MariaDB Example Usage


-- Move and rename an ecommerce table while archiving
RENAME TABLE Orders TO archive.Orders_2023;

How to RENAME TABLE in MariaDB Syntax


RENAME TABLE
    old_table_name TO new_table_name
  [, old_table_name2 TO new_table_name2] ...;

-- Cross-database move
RENAME TABLE current_db.old_name TO other_db.new_name;

Common Mistakes

Using ALTER TABLE ... RENAME without ensuring no active foreign key checks can cause locking issues. Fix by disabling foreign_key_checks temporarily or using RENAME TABLE, which is atomic.
Renaming a table referenced in application code without coordinated deploys leads to runtime errors. Fix by releasing code that reads the new table name before performing the rename or using views as transition layers.