MySQL Error 1064: SQL Syntax Error (Fix Guide)

The Error Message

What Causes MySQL 1064?

MySQL Error 1064 is a syntax error — the SQL parser cannot understand your query. The error message usually points to the exact position where parsing failed.

Common Causes

How to Fix It

Step 1: Check the error position

MySQL tells you where parsing failed. The word after 'near' is where to look.

-- The error message says 'near ...' 
-- Look at the text AFTER 'near' — the error is right before that point
-- Example: error near 'FORM users' means you wrote FORM instead of FROM

Step 2: Escape reserved words with backticks

Wrap reserved words in backticks when used as column or table names.

-- Wrong:
SELECT order, group FROM users;

-- Correct:
SELECT `order`, `group` FROM users;

Step 3: Fix comma issues

Remove trailing commas before FROM and ensure no commas are missing between columns.

-- Wrong (trailing comma):
SELECT name, email, FROM users;

-- Correct:
SELECT name, email FROM users;

Step 4: Check MySQL version compatibility

If you need CTE or window function support, upgrade to MySQL 8.0 or rewrite using subqueries.

-- Check your MySQL version:
SELECT VERSION();

-- CTEs require MySQL 8.0+
-- Use subqueries for MySQL 5.7:
SELECT * FROM (
  SELECT id, name FROM users WHERE active = 1
) AS active_users;

How to Prevent This Error

Use a SQL editor with syntax highlighting. Test queries on a small dataset first. Use AI2SQL to generate syntactically correct queries from plain English descriptions.

Fix MySQL Errors with AI2SQL

Instead of debugging SQL syntax manually, describe what you need in plain English and let AI2SQL generate the correct query for MySQL.

Frequently Asked Questions