to_char()

Converts time stamp to string according to the given format.

Signature

to_char ( timestamp, text ) → text
to_char ( timestamp with time zone, text ) → text
to_char ( interval, text ) → text
to_char ( numeric_type, text ) → text

Examples

SELECT to_char(timestamp '2002-04-20 17:31:12.66', 'HH12:MI:SS');

05:31:12

SELECT to_char(interval '15h 2m 12s', 'HH24:MI:SS');

15:02:12

SELECT to_char(125, '999');

SELECT to_char(125.8::real, '999D9');

 125.8

SELECT to_char(-125.8, '999D99S');

125.80-

Run against PostgreSQL 18.6 on 2026-09-13. This is the output we got, not the documentation’s.

In other engines

PostgreSQL	to_char
MySQL	DATE_FORMAT(x, '%Y-%m-%d')
SQL Server	FORMAT(x, 'yyyy-MM-dd') or CONVERT with a style number
Oracle	TO_CHAR(x, 'YYYY-MM-DD')
SQLite	strftime('%Y-%m-%d', x)

Oracle and PostgreSQL share the format-string vocabulary; MySQL and SQLite use strftime-style percent codes; SQL Server uses .NET format strings in FORMAT. Four dialects for one idea.

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Signature and description adapted from the PostgreSQL manual, used under the PostgreSQL License. PostgreSQL is a registered trademark of the PostgreSQL Community Association of Canada. This page is not affiliated with the PostgreSQL Global Development Group.