# How to Rename Databases in PostgreSQL

> To rename a database in Postgres, use the ALTER DATABASE statement with the RENAME TO clause. Also, you can use pgAdmin to rename a database manually.

To rename a database in Postgres, use the **ALTER DATABASE** statement with the **RENAME TO** clause. In Postgres, the current database cannot be renamed. So, to rename a database, firstly, you must establish a connection with any other database.

Once the connection is established, you can run the **“ALTER DATABASE”** command with the collaboration of the **“RENAME TO”** clause from that particular database to rename the targeted database.

This blog post will explain how to rename a database in PostgreSQL using the following context:

  1.  **How to Rename Databases in PostgreSQL Using psql?**
  2.  **How to Rename Databases in PostgreSQL Using pgAdmin?**



So, let’s start.

##  **How to Rename Databases in PostgreSQL Using psql**

Following are the prerequisite steps that must be performed to rename a database in PostgreSQL:

  * Firstly, terminate/disconnect the database that you want to rename.
  * Establish a connection with any other database.
  * Close all the connections that are associated with the targeted database.
  * Finally, run the **ALTER DATABASE** statement with the collaboration of the **RENAME TO** clause to rename the database.



###  **Syntax:**

To rename a database in PostgreSQL, specify an **ALTER DATABASE** command, followed by the database's old name, after that specify the **RENAME TO** clause followed by the database's new name:
    
    
    ALTER DATABASE old_dbname RENAME TO new_dbname;

Let’s implement it practically.

###  **Example: Renaming a Database in Postgres**

This example will provide stepwise instructions to rename a database in PostgreSQL:

###  **Step 1: Create a New Database**

Firstly, create a new database named “example_db” using the following command:
    
    
    CREATE DATABASE example_db;

The “example_db” database is created successfully.

###  **Step 2: Make a Connection With Database**

Connect to any database other than the database to be renamed:
    
    
    \c commandprompt;

The connection is successfully established with the “commandprompt” database.

###  **Step 3: Check Active Connections**

Execute the below statement to check the active connections:
    
    
    SELECT * FROM pg_stat_activity WHERE datname = ‘example_db’;

On successful execution, you will get the list of active connections.

###  **Step 4: Terminate Active Connections**

Run the following statement to sack/close all the active connections:
    
    
    SELECT pg_terminate_backend (pid)
    FROM pg_stat_activity
    WHERE datname = 'example_db';

###  **Step 5: Rename Database**

Once the active connections are terminated, now you can rename a database using the **ALTER TABLE** command as follows:
    
    
    ALTER DATABASE example_db RENAME TO modified_db;

The output snippet verifies that the selected database has been modified/renamed successfully.

###  **Step 6: Verify Database Name**

Let’s verify that whether the selected database has been renamed or not:
    
    
    \l;

The output snippet proves that the “ **example_db”** database has been renamed to “ **modified_db** ”.

##  **How to Rename a Database in PostgreSQL Using pgAdmin**

If you are a GUI lover and want to rename a database without executing any query, then opt for the pgAdmin(GUI-based development platform for Postgres). Using pgAdmin you can rename a database either by using GUI (manually) or by executing queries (using its query tool).

To rename a Postgres database manually using pgAdmin walk through the following steps:

### Step 1: Select the Database to Rename

Open the pgAdmin, and navigate to the "Object Explorer" Pane > expand the "Servers" tree > click the "Databases" option to expand it > select the database to rename and right-click on it, as follows:

Click on the "Properties..." option to open the database properties.

###  **Step 2: Rename the Database**

In the properties windows, you can modify database attributes/properties like name, owner, default privileges, tablespace, etc. To rename a database, stay on the "General" tab, navigate to the "Database" field, and rename it to any valid name of your choice:

Hit the "Save" button to update the database name.

###  **Step 3: Rename the Database**

Now navigate back to the "Databases" section in the left pane, and you will witness that the selected database has been renamed successfully:

That's all about renaming a database in Postgres using psql and pgAdmin.

##  **Conclusion**

To rename a database in Postgres, use the **ALTER DATABASE** statement with the **RENAME TO** clause. To do so, specify an **ALTER DATABASE** command, followed by the database’s old name, and after that, specify the **RENAME TO** clause followed by the database’s new/modified name. This blog post demonstrates a thorough guide on renaming a PostgreSQL database.

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