---
title: "LTRIM (Transact-SQL) | Microsoft Docs"
ms.custom: ""
ms.date: "02/27/2017"
ms.prod: sql
ms.prod_service: "database-engine, sql-database, sql-data-warehouse, pdw"
ms.reviewer: ""
ms.technology: t-sql
ms.topic: "language-reference"
f1_keywords: 
  - "LTRIM"
  - "LTRIM_TSQL"
dev_langs: 
  - "TSQL"
helpviewer_keywords: 
  - "leading blanks"
  - "deleting blank spaces"
  - "characters [SQL Server], blanks"
  - "removing blank spaces"
  - "LTRIM function"
  - "blank characters [SQL Server]"
ms.assetid: 369ed340-1a09-4597-a9eb-6720156cd39a
author: MikeRayMSFT
ms.author: mikeray
monikerRange: ">=aps-pdw-2016||=azuresqldb-current||=azure-sqldw-latest||>=sql-server-2016||=sqlallproducts-allversions||>=sql-server-linux-2017||=azuresqldb-mi-current"
---
# LTRIM (Transact-SQL)
[!INCLUDE[tsql-appliesto-ss2008-all-md](../../includes/tsql-appliesto-ss2008-all-md.md)]

  Returns a character expression after it removes leading blanks.  
  
 ![Topic link icon](../../database-engine/configure-windows/media/topic-link.gif "Topic link icon") [Transact-SQL Syntax Conventions](../../t-sql/language-elements/transact-sql-syntax-conventions-transact-sql.md)  
  
## Syntax  
  
```  
LTRIM ( character_expression )  
```  
  
## Arguments  
 *character_expression*  
 Is an [expression](../../t-sql/language-elements/expressions-transact-sql.md) 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](../../t-sql/functions/cast-and-convert-transact-sql.md) to explicitly convert *character_expression*.  
  
## Return Type  
 **varchar** or **nvarchar**  
  
## Examples  

### A. Simple example   

 The following example uses LTRIM to remove leading spaces from a character expression.  
  
```sql  
SELECT LTRIM('     Five spaces are at the beginning of this string.') FROM sys.databases;  
```  
  
 [!INCLUDE[ssResult](../../includes/ssresult-md.md)]  
  
 ```
 ---------------------------------------------------------------  
  Five spaces are at the beginning of this string.
  ```  

### B: Example 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 = '     5 spaces are at the beginning of this string.';  
SELECT 
    @string_to_trim AS 'Original string',
    LTRIM(@string_to_trim) AS 'Without spaces';  
GO  
```  
  
 [!INCLUDE[ssResult](../../includes/ssresult-md.md)]  
  
```  
Original string	Without spaces
--------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------
     5 spaces are at the beginning of this string.	5 spaces are at the beginning of this string.
```  
  
## See Also  
 [LEFT (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/functions/left-transact-sql.md)  
 [RIGHT (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/functions/right-transact-sql.md)  
 [RTRIM (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/functions/rtrim-transact-sql.md)  
 [STRING_SPLIT (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/functions/string-split-transact-sql.md)  
 [SUBSTRING (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/functions/substring-transact-sql.md)  
 [TRIM (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/functions/trim-transact-sql.md)  
 [Data Types (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/data-types/data-types-transact-sql.md)   
 [String Functions (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/functions/string-functions-transact-sql.md)