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rtrim-transact-sql.md

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title RTRIM (Transact-SQL)
description The RTRIM Transact-SQL function returns a character string after truncating all trailing spaces.
author MikeRayMSFT
ms.author mikeray
ms.reviewer randolphwest
ms.date 02/09/2026
ms.service sql
ms.subservice t-sql
ms.topic reference
ms.custom
ignite-2025
f1_keywords
RTRIM_TSQL
RTRIM
helpviewer_keywords
RTRIM function
character strings [SQL Server], trailing blanks
blank characters [SQL Server]
trailing blanks
dev_langs
TSQL
monikerRange >=aps-pdw-2016 || =azuresqldb-current || =azure-sqldw-latest || >=sql-server-2016 || >=sql-server-linux-2017 || >=sql-server-ver15 || >=sql-server-ver16 || >=sql-server-linux-ver15 || >=sql-server-linux-ver16 || =azuresqldb-mi-current || =fabric || =fabric-sqldb

RTRIM (Transact-SQL)

[!INCLUDE sql-asdb-asdbmi-asa-pdw-fabricse-fabricdw-fabricsqldb]

::: moniker range="<=sql-server-ver15 || <=sql-server-linux-ver15 " Returns a character string after truncating all trailing spaces. ::: moniker-end

::: moniker range=">=sql-server-ver16 || >=sql-server-linux-ver16 || = azure-sqldw-latest || = azuresqldb-current || = azuresqldb-mi-current ||=fabric" Removes space character char(32) or other specified characters from the end of a string. ::: moniker-end

:::image type="icon" source="../../includes/media/topic-link-icon.svg" border="false"::: Transact-SQL syntax conventions

Syntax

Syntax for SQL Server prior to [!INCLUDE sssql22-md]:

RTRIM ( character_expression )

Syntax for [!INCLUDE sssql22-md] and later, [!INCLUDE ssazuremi-md], [!INCLUDE ssazure-sqldb], [!INCLUDE ssazuresynapse_md], and [!INCLUDE fabric]:

Important

The database compatibility level must be set to 160 or higher to use the optional characters argument.

RTRIM ( character_expression , [ characters ] )

Arguments

character_expression

An expression of character or binary data. character_expression can be a constant, variable, or column. character_expression must be of a data type, except text, ntext, and image, that is implicitly convertible to varchar. Otherwise, use CAST to explicitly convert character_expression.

characters

Applies to: [!INCLUDE sssql22-md] and later.

A literal, variable, or function call of any non-LOB character type (nvarchar, varchar, nchar, or char) containing characters that should be removed. nvarchar(max) and varchar(max) types aren't allowed.

Return types

Returns a character expression with a type of string argument where the space character char(32) or other specified characters are removed from the end of a character_expression. Returns NULL if input string is NULL.

Remarks

To enable the optional characters positional argument, enable database compatibility level 160 on the databases that you connect to when executing queries.

Examples

A. Remove trailing spaces

The following example takes a string of characters that has spaces at the end of the sentence, and returns the text without the spaces at the end of the sentence.

SELECT RTRIM('Removes trailing spaces.   ');

[!INCLUDEssResult]

Removes trailing spaces.

B. Remove trailing spaces with a variable

The following example demonstrates how to use RTRIM to remove trailing spaces from a character variable.

DECLARE @string_to_trim VARCHAR(60);  
SET @string_to_trim = 'Four spaces are after the period in this sentence.    ';  
SELECT @string_to_trim + ' Next string.';  
SELECT RTRIM(@string_to_trim) + ' Next string.';  
GO

[!INCLUDEssResult]

Four spaces are after the period in this sentence.     Next string.

Four spaces are after the period in this sentence. Next string.

::: moniker range=">=sql-server-ver16 || >=sql-server-linux-ver16"

C. Remove specified characters from the end of a string

Important

You will need your database compatibility level set to 160 to use the optional characters argument.

The following example removes the characters abc. from the end of the .123abc. string.

SELECT RTRIM('.123abc.' , 'abc.');

[!INCLUDEssResult]

.123

::: moniker-end

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