Format Transact-SQL in the MSSQL extension for Visual Studio Code

Consistent formatting makes Transact-SQL (T-SQL) easier to read, review, and maintain, especially when multiple people contribute to the same codebase. The MSSQL extension for Visual Studio Code includes a built-in SQL formatter that you can run on demand, configure for automatic formatting on save, and customize through Visual Studio Code settings.

The T-SQL formatting functionality in the MSSQL extension is built on ScriptDOM, an open-source .NET library that parses T-SQL and generates scripts based on abstract syntax trees.

Format on demand

You can format T-SQL in any editor window. The formatter works on the whole document or only on the text that you select.

To format T-SQL on demand, use one of the following methods:

Context menu: Right-click in a T-SQL editor window and select Format Document or Format Selection.
Command Palette: Run Format Document or Format Selection.
Keyboard shortcut: For Format Document, press Shift+Alt+F on Windows and Linux, or Shift+Option+F on macOS. For Format Selection, press Ctrl+K, Ctrl+F on Windows and Linux, or Cmd+K, Cmd+F on macOS.

Format on save

In Visual Studio Code, the standard editor setting controls format on save, rather than a dedicated MSSQL formatter setting.

Use the following settings in your Visual Studio Code settings.json file to format T-SQL automatically whenever you save a file:

{
  "[sql]": {
    "editor.formatOnSave": true
  }
}

Configure formatting options

Configure formatting in the Visual Studio Code Settings UI or in user or workspace settings.json.

In the Settings editor, search for Mssql > Format to view the available options. In settings.json, use the corresponding mssql.format.* settings.

Supported settings

The following settings configure the SQL formatter.

General

Setting	Type	Default	Description
`mssql.format.showParseErrorNotification`	bool	`true`	Show a notification when the formatter can't fully parse the T-SQL.
`mssql.format.options.sqlVersion`	enum	`sql170`	T-SQL version used to parse and generate formatted scripts.
`mssql.format.options.sqlEngineType`	enum	`all`	Database Engine type used to parse and generate formatted scripts. Valid values are `all`, `standalone`, and `sqlAzure`.

Alignment

Setting	Type	Default	Description
`mssql.format.options.alignClauseBodies`	bool	`true`	Align bodies of `FROM`, `WHERE`, `GROUP BY`, and similar clauses.
`mssql.format.options.alignColumnDefinitionFields`	bool	`true`	Align column-definition fields, such as names, data types, and constraints.
`mssql.format.options.alignSetClauseItem`	bool	`true`	Align `SET` clause items in `UPDATE` statements.
`mssql.format.options.clauseBodyAlignment`	enum	`aligned`	Keep clause bodies `aligned` with their keywords or place them on the next line as `indented`.

Casing and identifiers

Setting	Type	Default	Description
`mssql.format.options.builtInFunctionCasing`	enum	`preserve`	Casing style for supported built-in function names, such as `GETDATE` and `COALESCE`. Valid values are `preserve`, `uppercase`, `lowercase`, and `pascalCase`.
`mssql.format.options.identifierBracketing`	enum	`preserve`	Preserve, add, or remove optional square brackets around identifiers. Valid values are `preserve`, `includeBrackets`, and `excludeBrackets`. Required brackets are retained.
`mssql.format.options.identifierCasing`	enum	`preserve`	Casing style for object identifiers. Valid values are `preserve`, `uppercase`, `lowercase`, and `pascalCase`.
`mssql.format.options.keywordCasing`	enum	`uppercase`	Keyword casing style. Valid values are `uppercase`, `lowercase`, and `pascalCase`.

Paths

Setting	Type	Default	Description
`mssql.format.options.allowExternalLanguagePaths`	bool	`true`	Allow external language content to use file paths.
`mssql.format.options.allowExternalLibraryPaths`	bool	`true`	Allow external library content to use file paths.

Formatting

Setting	Type	Default	Description
`mssql.format.options.asKeywordOnOwnLine`	bool	`true`	Place `AS` on its own line.
`mssql.format.options.columnAliasStyle`	enum	`asKeyword`	Format column aliases using `AS`, an equals sign, or their original syntax. Valid values are `asKeyword`, `equalsSign`, and `preserve`.
`mssql.format.options.commaPlacement`	enum	`trailing`	Place commas at the end of list items (`trailing`) or at the beginning of the next item (`leading`).
`mssql.format.options.leadingCommaSpaceCount`	integer	`1`	Number of spaces after a leading comma. Valid values are `0` and `1`.
`mssql.format.options.persistTrailingGo`	bool	`false`	Preserve trailing `GO` batch separators from the original script.
`mssql.format.options.preserveComments`	bool	`true`	Preserve comments during formatting.
`mssql.format.options.terminateBlockStatements`	bool	`false`	Add semicolon terminators after `BEGIN...END` and `TRY...CATCH` blocks.

Indentation

Setting	Type	Default	Description
`mssql.format.options.indentSetClause`	bool	`false`	Indent `SET` clauses in `UPDATE` statements.
`mssql.format.options.indentViewBody`	bool	`false`	Indent `VIEW` bodies.

Multiline

Setting	Type	Default	Description
`mssql.format.options.multilineGroupByElementsList`	bool	`false`	Format `GROUP BY` elements as a multiline list.
`mssql.format.options.multilineHavingPredicatesList`	bool	`true`	Format `HAVING` predicates separated by `AND` or `OR` on multiple lines.
`mssql.format.options.multilineInsertSourcesList`	bool	`true`	Format `INSERT` sources as multiline lists.
`mssql.format.options.multilineInsertTargetsList`	bool	`true`	Format `INSERT` columns as multiline lists.
`mssql.format.options.multilineInValuesList`	bool	`false`	Format values in an `IN` predicate as a multiline list.
`mssql.format.options.multilineNestedFunctionCalls`	bool	`false`	Format nested function calls on separate indented lines while keeping isolated function calls on one line.
`mssql.format.options.multilineOrderByElementsList`	bool	`false`	Format `ORDER BY` elements as a multiline list.
`mssql.format.options.multilinePartitionByElementsList`	bool	`false`	Format `PARTITION BY` elements in window specifications as a multiline list.
`mssql.format.options.multilineProcedureParametersList`	bool	`false`	Format procedure and function parameters on separate lines.
`mssql.format.options.multilineSelectElementsList`	bool	`true`	Format `SELECT` columns as multiline lists.
`mssql.format.options.multilineSetClauseItems`	bool	`true`	Format `SET` clause items as multiline lists.
`mssql.format.options.multilineViewColumnsList`	bool	`true`	Format `VIEW` columns as multiline lists.
`mssql.format.options.multilineWherePredicatesList`	bool	`true`	Format `WHERE` predicates as multiline lists.
`mssql.format.options.multilineWithOptionsList`	bool	`false`	Format supported `WITH` and `OPTION` clause values on separate lines.

New line

Setting	Type	Default	Description
`mssql.format.options.newLineAfterJoinKeyword`	bool	`true`	Place the joined table source on a new line after the `JOIN` keyword.
`mssql.format.options.newLineBeforeCloseParenthesisInMultilineList`	bool	`true`	Place a new line before the closing parenthesis of a multiline list.
`mssql.format.options.newLineBeforeFromClause`	bool	`true`	Place a new line before the `FROM` clause.
`mssql.format.options.newLineBeforeGroupByClause`	bool	`true`	Place a new line before the `GROUP BY` clause.
`mssql.format.options.newLineBeforeHavingClause`	bool	`true`	Place a new line before the `HAVING` clause.
`mssql.format.options.newLineBeforeJoinClause`	bool	`true`	Place a new line before `JOIN` clauses.
`mssql.format.options.newLineBeforeOffsetClause`	bool	`true`	Place a new line before the `OFFSET` clause.
`mssql.format.options.newLineBeforeOnClause`	bool	`true`	Place the `ON` clause of a join on a new line.
`mssql.format.options.newLineBeforeOpenParenthesisInMultilineList`	bool	`false`	Place a new line before the opening parenthesis of a multiline list.
`mssql.format.options.newLineBeforeOrderByClause`	bool	`true`	Place a new line before the `ORDER BY` clause.
`mssql.format.options.newLineBeforeOutputClause`	bool	`true`	Place a new line before the `OUTPUT` clause.
`mssql.format.options.newLineBeforeWhereClause`	bool	`true`	Place a new line before the `WHERE` clause.
`mssql.format.options.newLineBeforeWindowClause`	bool	`true`	Place a new line before the `WINDOW` clause.
`mssql.format.options.newlineFormattedCheckConstraint`	bool	`false`	Place the `CHECK` clause of a constraint on its own line.
`mssql.format.options.newLineFormattedIndexDefinition`	bool	`false`	Place `UNIQUE`, `INCLUDE`, and `WHERE` portions of inline index definitions on separate lines.

Statement and batch spacing

Setting	Type	Default	Description
`mssql.format.options.numNewlinesAfterBatches`	integer	`1`	Number of line breaks after each `GO` batch separator, from `0` through `5`.
`mssql.format.options.numNewlinesAfterBatchStatement`	integer	`2`	Number of line breaks after each top-level statement in a batch, from `0` through `5`.
`mssql.format.options.numNewlinesAfterStatement`	integer	`1`	Number of line breaks after each statement, from `0` through `5`.

Spacing

Setting	Type	Default	Description
`mssql.format.options.spaceBetweenDataTypeAndParameters`	bool	`true`	Insert a space between a data type and its parentheses, for example `VARCHAR (255)`.
`mssql.format.options.spaceBetweenParametersInDataType`	bool	`true`	Insert spaces between parameters in a data type, for example `DECIMAL (10, 2)`.

Example settings file

{
  "mssql.format.options.keywordCasing": "lowercase",
  "mssql.format.options.alignClauseBodies": false,
  "mssql.format.options.numNewlinesAfterStatement": 2,
  "[sql]": {
    "editor.formatOnSave": true
  }
}

Set the default formatter

To set the MSSQL extension as the default, select Configure Default Formatter... > SQL Server (mssql), or add the following configuration to settings.json:

{
  "[sql]": {
    "editor.defaultFormatter": "ms-mssql.mssql"
  }
}

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Last updated on 2026-09-28