TRUNCATE TABLE – Wipe All Data, Keep the Table

(because sometimes you just want a fresh start)

Quick Syntax

TRUNCATE TABLE table_name;

You’re telling SQL:
“Clear out all the rows — but keep the table structure.”

No data left, but the columns, types, and table still exist.

Imagine your table looks like this:

id	name	age	phone
1	Olivia	26	5550001234
2	Mason	24	5556712345
3	Zoe	30	5559083344
4	Ethan	21	5554421199
5	Harper	25	5552223344

Now you want to clear all the data but keep the table setup.
Maybe you’re starting a new batch of records or cleaning test data.

TRUNCATE the table

TRUNCATE TABLE friends;

Output:

Query OK, 0 rows affected

What’s left after?

SELECT * FROM friends;

Output:

id	name	age	phone
empty table

The table is still there, still has all the same columns — but now it’s empty. Fresh as new.

TRUNCATE vs DELETE

Feature	DELETE	TRUNCATE
Deletes rows	Yes	Yes
Keeps structure	Yes	Yes
Slower	Can be slow	Fast (no logging)
Can use WHERE	Yes	No — all rows only
Auto-increment ID	Continues count	Often resets to 1

Recap

• TRUNCATE clears all rows but keeps the table
• Super fast and clean — but removes everything
• You can’t filter — it’s all or nothing
• Great for resetting test data or starting fresh

Want to know more about what kinds of data you can store in your tables? You can read more here:
More about SQL data types