Close

How to exit from PostgreSQL's command line utility (psql)

Posted by: AJ Welch

Command line utilities often use different conventions for exiting and it can be difficult to remember the exact command for the utility you’re using. Is it quitquit()exitCtrl+C? I give up! In this tutorial, we’ll go over the exact commands you can use to quit psql.


Meta-Commands


psql has a concept of meta-commands which are commands that are evaluated by psql before ever sending anything to the database server. They are denoted by a backslash and then followed by the command and its arguments. The most common way to exit psql is using a meta-command.

Exiting psql using a Meta-Command


The meta-command for exiting psql is \q. For more information about this and other meta-commands use the meta-command \?.

Exiting psql using an End-of-Transmission character


You can also quit psql using the End-of-Transmission (EOT) character. The EOT character signals the end of a file to a program that is waiting for input. In the case of psql, this will cause the program to exit. The EOT character can be sent by typing Ctrl+D.