Rename a Postgres Database

Renaming or dropping a Postgres database using pgAdmin is not a straightforward task. Follow steps bellow to get it done.

Step 1: Disconnect from the database (to be renamed).
To do this connect to a different database. ex: postgres

Step 2: View and delete existing connections on the database

SELECT * FROM pg_stat_activity WHERE datname = 'DB_Name';
SELECT pg_terminate_backend (pid) FROM pg_stat_activity WHERE datname='DB_Name';

Step 3: Rename the database

Run all these queries in together.

SELECT * FROM pg_stat_activity WHERE datname = 'DB_Name';

SELECT pg_terminate_backend (pid) FROM pg_stat_activity WHERE datname='DB_Name';

ALTER DATABASE "DB_Name" RENAME TO "DB_New_Name";

That’s it!