---
title: "DROP TABLE"
url: "https://docs.yugabyte.com/stable/api/ysql/the-sql-language/statements/ddl_drop_table/"
---

# DROP TABLE

Use the DROP TABLE statement to remove one or more tables (with all of their data) from the database.

## Synopsis

Use the `DROP TABLE` statement to remove one or more tables (with all of their data) from the database.

## Syntax

- [![Grammar Icon](/icons/file-lines.svg)Grammar](#grammar-2)
- [![Diagram Icon](/icons/diagram.svg)Diagram](#diagram-2)

```output.ebnf
drop_table ::= DROP TABLE [ IF EXISTS ] table_name [ , ... ] 
               [ CASCADE | RESTRICT ]
```

#### drop\_table

DROPTABLEIFEXISTS,[table\_name](/stable/api/ysql/syntax_resources/grammar_diagrams#table-name)CASCADERESTRICT

## Semantics

### *drop\_table*

#### *if\_exists*

Under normal operation, an error is raised if the table does not exist. Adding `IF EXISTS` will quietly ignore any non-existent tables specified.

#### *table\_name*

Specify the name of the table to be dropped. Objects associated with the table, such as prepared statements, will be eventually invalidated after the `DROP TABLE` statement is completed.

#### RESTRICT / CASCADE

`RESTRICT` is the default and it will not drop the table if any objects depend on it.

`CASCADE` will drop any objects that transitively depend on the table.

## Example

Do this:

```plpgsql
set client_min_messages = warning;
drop table if exists children, parents cascade;

create table parents(k int primary key, v text);

create table children(
  k int, parents_k int, v text,
  constraint children_pk primary key(k, parents_k),
  constraint children_fk foreign key(parents_k) references parents(k));
\d children
```

The `\d` meta-command output includes this information:

```
Foreign-key constraints:
    "children_fk" FOREIGN KEY (parents_k) REFERENCES parents(k)
```

Now do this:

```plpgsql
\set VERBOSITY verbose
drop table parents restrict;
```

It causes this error:

```
2BP01: cannot drop table parents because other objects depend on it
```

with this detail:

```
constraint children_fk on table children depends on table parents
```

Now do this:

```plpgsql
drop table parents cascade;
\d children
```

The 'DROP' now succeeds and the `\d` meta-command shows that the table *"children"* still exists but that it now as no foreign key constraint to the now-dropped "*parents"* table.

## See also

- [CREATE TABLE](/stable/api/ysql/the-sql-language/statements/ddl_create_table "CREATE TABLE")
- [INSERT](/stable/api/ysql/the-sql-language/statements/dml_insert "INSERT")
- [SELECT](/stable/api/ysql/the-sql-language/statements/dml_select/ "SELECT")