How to Drop a Table in BigQuery

Dropping a table in BigQuery means permanently removing it from your dataset, including all data and metadata. This guide will show you how to do it safely using both the Google Cloud Console and SQL commands.

Method 1: Using the Google Cloud Console

1. Go to the BigQuery Console.
2. In the Explorer panel, navigate to your project and dataset.
3. Find the table you want to drop, click the three-dot menu (), and select Delete table.
4. In the confirmation dialog, type the table name and click Delete.

Method 2: Using SQL Commands

BigQuery provides a simple SQL command to drop tables:

DROP TABLE `project_id.dataset_id.table_id`;

Example

DROP TABLE `my_project.my_dataset.my_table`;

Make sure you have the necessary permissions (bigquery.tables.delete) before running this command.

Things to Consider

• Dropping a table is irreversible — make sure to back up important data.
• Consider using DELETE statements or TRUNCATE TABLE if you only need to remove data but keep the table structure.
• Check that no downstream processes depend on the table before removing it.

Final Tips

After dropping a table, verify its removal by refreshing the dataset in the Console or querying the INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES view. Always review your dataset access controls and audit logs to track who performed delete actions.