How to change the GROUP_CONCAT separator in MySQL
You can customize the separator by using the SEPARATOR keyword in the GROUP_CONCAT() function; 1. Use SEPARATOR to specify a custom separator, such as SEPARATOR '; 'The separator can be changed to a semicolon and plus space; 2. Common examples include using the pipe character ' | ', space' ', line break '\n' or custom string' -> ' as the separator; 3. Note that the separator must be a string literal or expression, and the result length is limited by the group_concat_max_len variable, which can be adjusted by SET SESSION group_concat_max_len = 10000; 4. SEPARATOR is an optional keyword, and the default is used for omission; 5. You can combine ORDER BY, CONCAT, etc. implement more complex splicing, such as sorting by last name and separating the full name with '/', the final result completely returns the splicing string for each group.
By default, MySQL's GROUP_CONCAT()
function joins values using a comma ( ,
) as the separator. If you want to change this separator—say, to a semicolon, space, or any custom character—you can do so directly within the function using the SEPARATOR
keyword.

Use the SEPARATOR keyword inside GROUP_CONCAT
Inside the GROUP_CONCAT()
function, you can specify a custom separator like this:
SELECT GROUP_CONCAT(column_name SEPARATOR 'your_separator') FROM table_name GROUP BY another_column;
For example:

SELECT GROUP_CONCAT(name SEPARATOR '; ') AS names FROM employees GROUP BY department;
This will concatenate names in each department, separated by ;
(semicolon and a space), instead of the default comma.
Common separator examples
Pipe symbol :
GROUP_CONCAT(name SEPARATOR ' | ')
Space :
GROUP_CONCAT(name SEPARATOR ' ')
Newline (useful for display in some clients) :
GROUP_CONCAT(name SEPARATOR '\n')
Custom string :
GROUP_CONCAT(name SEPARATOR ' -> ')
Notes and limitations
The separator must be a string literal or expression. You can't use a variable unless it's supported in your context (like in stored procedures).
There's a limit to the length of the result, controlled by the
group_concat_max_len
system variable. If your concatenated string is too long, it will be truncated.- To increase it:
SET SESSION group_concat_max_len = 10000;
This sets the limit for your current session.
- To increase it:
The
SEPARATOR
keyword is optional. If omitted, the default,
is used.
Example with multiple columns and conditions
SELECT department, GROUP_CONCAT( CONCAT(first_name, ' ', last_name) ORDER BY last_name SEPARATOR ' / ' ) AS employees FROM employees GROUP BY department;
This groups employees by department, formats their full names, sorts them by last name, and separates them with ' / '
.
Basically, just remember: use SEPARATOR
inside GROUP_CONCAT()
—it's straightforward and built right into the function.
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