---
title: "CLOSE"
url: "https://docs.yugabyte.com/stable/api/ysql/the-sql-language/statements/dml_close/"
---

# CLOSE

Use the CLOSE statement to 'drop' a cursor.

YSQL currently supports only fetching rows from a cursor consecutively in the forward direction.

See the subsection [Beware Issue #6514](/stable/api/ysql/cursors/#beware-issue-6514 "Beware Issue #6514") in the generic section [Cursors](/stable/api/ysql/cursors/ "Cursors").

## Synopsis

Use the `CLOSE` statement to "drop" a *cursor*. See the generic section [Cursors](/stable/api/ysql/cursors/ "Cursors"). The `CLOSE` statement is used jointly with the [`DECLARE`](/stable/api/ysql/the-sql-language/statements/dml_declare "DECLARE"), [`MOVE`](/stable/api/ysql/the-sql-language/statements/dml_move "MOVE"), and [`FETCH`](/stable/api/ysql/the-sql-language/statements/dml_fetch "FETCH") statements.

## Syntax

- [![Grammar Icon](/icons/file-lines.svg)Grammar](#grammar-1)
- [![Diagram Icon](/icons/diagram.svg)Diagram](#diagram-1)

```output.ebnf
close ::= CLOSE { name | ALL }
```

#### close

CLOSE[name](/stable/api/ysql/syntax_resources/grammar_diagrams#name)ALL

## Semantics

`CLOSE` drops a *cursor*. Use this statement so that you can shorten the lifetime a *cursor*—typically in order to save resources.

CLOSE is outside the scope of rolling back to a savepoint.

If a *cursor* is closed after a savepoint to which you later roll back, the effect of `CLOSE` is *not* rolled back—in other words the closed *cursor* continues no longer to exist.

### *name*

A *cursor* is identified only by an unqualified name and is visible only in the session that declares it. This determines the uniqueness scope for its name. (The name of a *cursor* is like that of a *prepared statement* in this respect.)

Using the keyword `ALL` in place of the name of an extant *cursor* closes every extant *cursor*.

## Simple example

```plpgsql
close all;

start transaction;
  declare "Cur-One" no scroll cursor without hold for
  select 17 as v;

  declare "Cur-Two" no scroll cursor with hold for
  select 42 as v;

  select name, is_holdable::text, is_scrollable::text
  from pg_cursors
  order by name;

  close "Cur-One";
commit;

select name, is_holdable::text, is_scrollable::text
from pg_cursors
order by name;

fetch all from "Cur-Two";
```

This is the result from the first *pg\_cursors* query:

```output
  name   | is_holdable | is_scrollable
---------+-------------+---------------
 Cur-One | false       | false
 Cur-Two | true        | false
```

This is the result from the second *pg\_cursors* query:

```output
  name   | is_holdable | is_scrollable
---------+-------------+---------------
 Cur-Two | true        | false
```

And this is the result from *fetch all from "Cur-Two"*:

```output
 v
----
 42
```

## See also

- [DECLARE](/stable/api/ysql/the-sql-language/statements/dml_declare "DECLARE")
- [MOVE](/stable/api/ysql/the-sql-language/statements/dml_move "MOVE")
- [FETCH](/stable/api/ysql/the-sql-language/statements/dml_fetch "FETCH")