---
title: "UNLISTEN"
id: sql-unlisten
pg_version: "20devel"
---

<a id="sql-unlisten"></a>

# UNLISTEN — stop listening for a notification

## Synopsis

```
UNLISTEN { channel | * }
```

<a id="id-1.9.3.186.5"></a>

## Description

`UNLISTEN` is used to remove an existing registration for `NOTIFY` events. `UNLISTEN` cancels any existing registration of the current PostgreSQL session as a listener on the notification channel named `channel`. The special wildcard `*` cancels all listener registrations for the current session. 

[NOTIFY](sql-notify.md) contains a more extensive discussion of the use of `LISTEN` and `NOTIFY`. 

<a id="id-1.9.3.186.6"></a>

## Parameters

**`channel`**

 Name of a notification channel (any identifier). **`*`**

 All current listen registrations for this session are cleared. <a id="id-1.9.3.186.7"></a>

## Notes

You can unlisten something you were not listening for; no warning or error will appear. 

At the end of each session, `UNLISTEN *` is automatically executed. 

A transaction that has executed `UNLISTEN` cannot be prepared for two-phase commit. 

<a id="id-1.9.3.186.8"></a>

## Examples

To make a registration: 
LISTEN virtual;
NOTIFY virtual;
Asynchronous notification "virtual" received from server process with PID 8448.
 

Once `UNLISTEN` has been executed, further `NOTIFY` messages will be ignored: 
UNLISTEN virtual;
NOTIFY virtual;
-- no NOTIFY event is received


<a id="id-1.9.3.186.9"></a>

## Compatibility

There is no `UNLISTEN` command in the SQL standard. 

<a id="id-1.9.3.186.10"></a>

## See Also

[LISTEN](sql-listen.md), [NOTIFY](sql-notify.md)