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title LTRIM (Transact-SQL)
description LTRIM (Transact-SQL)
author markingmyname
ms.author maghan
ms.reviewer randolphwest
ms.date 09/14/2022
ms.prod sql
ms.technology t-sql
ms.topic reference
f1_keywords
LTRIM
LTRIM_TSQL
helpviewer_keywords
leading blanks
deleting blank spaces
characters [SQL Server], blanks
removing blank spaces
LTRIM function
blank characters [SQL Server]
dev_langs
TSQL
monikerRange >= aps-pdw-2016 || = azuresqldb-current || = azure-sqldw-latest || >= sql-server-2016 || >= sql-server-linux-2017 || = azuresqldb-mi-current

LTRIM (Transact-SQL)

[!INCLUDE sql-asdb-asdbmi-asa-pdw]

::: moniker range="<=sql-server-ver15 || <=sql-server-linux-ver15 || = azure-sqldw-latest || = azuresqldb-current || = azuresqldb-mi-current" Returns a character string after truncating all leading spaces. ::: moniker-end

::: moniker range=">=sql-server-ver16 || >=sql-server-linux-ver16" Removes space character char(32) or other specified characters from the start of a string. ::: moniker-end

:::image type="icon" source="../../database-engine/configure-windows/media/topic-link.gif" border="false"::: Transact-SQL Syntax Conventions

Syntax

::: moniker range="<=sql-server-ver15 || <=sql-server-linux-ver15 || = azure-sqldw-latest || = azuresqldb-current || = azuresqldb-mi-current"

LTRIM ( character_expression )

::: moniker-end

::: moniker range=">=sql-server-ver16 || >=sql-server-linux-ver16" Syntax for [!INCLUDE sssql22-md] and later:

Important

You will need your database compatibility level set to 160 to use the optional characters argument.

LTRIM ( character_expression , [ characters ] )

Syntax for [!INCLUDE ssazure_md]:

LTRIM ( character_expression )

::: moniker-end

[!INCLUDEsql-server-tsql-previous-offline-documentation]

Arguments

character_expression

An expression of character or binary data. character_expression can be a constant, variable, or column. character_expression must be of a data type, except text, ntext, and image, that is implicitly convertible to varchar. Otherwise, use CAST to explicitly convert character_expression.

::: moniker range=">=sql-server-ver16 || >=sql-server-linux-ver16"

characters

Applies to: [!INCLUDE sssql22-md] and later.

A literal, variable, or function call of any non-LOB character type (nvarchar, varchar, nchar, or char) containing characters that should be removed. nvarchar(max) and varchar(max) types aren't allowed. ::: moniker-end

Return types

::: moniker range="<=sql-server-ver15 || <=sql-server-linux-ver15 || = azure-sqldw-latest || = azuresqldb-current || = azuresqldb-mi-current" varchar or nvarchar ::: moniker-end

::: moniker range=">=sql-server-ver16 || >=sql-server-linux-ver16" Returns a character expression with a type of string argument where the space character char(32) or other specified characters are removed from the beginning of a character_expression. Returns NULL if input string is NULL.

Remarks

To enable the optional characters positional argument, enable database compatibility level 160 on the database(s) that you are connecting to when executing queries. ::: moniker-end

Examples

A. Remove leading spaces

The following example uses LTRIM to remove leading spaces from a character expression.

SELECT LTRIM('     Five spaces are at the beginning of this string.');

[!INCLUDEssResult]

---------------------------------------------------------------  
  Five spaces are at the beginning of this string.

B: Remove leading spaces using a variable

The following example uses LTRIM to remove leading spaces from a character variable.

DECLARE @string_to_trim VARCHAR(60);  
SET @string_to_trim = '     Five spaces are at the beginning of this string.';  
SELECT  
    @string_to_trim AS 'Original string',
    LTRIM(@string_to_trim) AS 'Without spaces';  
GO

[!INCLUDEssResult]

Original string	                                        Without spaces
-----------------------------------------------------   ---------------------------------------------
     Five spaces are at the beginning of this string.	Five spaces are at the beginning of this string.

::: moniker range=">=sql-server-ver16 || >=sql-server-linux-ver16"

C. Remove specified characters from the beginning of a string

Important

You will need your database compatibility level set to 160 to use the optional characters argument.

The following example removes the characters 123 from the beginning of the 123abc. string.

SELECT LTRIM('123abc.' , '123.');

[!INCLUDEssResult]

abc.

::: moniker-end

See also