# Supabase: “value too long for type character varying(n)” (22001)
> Supabase error 22001 means a string is longer than its varchar(n) column allows. Change the column to text, raise the limit, or check the length in the app.
Canonical: https://app369.com/fix/supabase-value-too-long-for-type-character-varying/
Last updated: 2026-11-09
“value too long for type character varying” is Postgres error 22001. A string is longer than the limit set on a varchar(n) column, so the whole insert or update fails. The usual fix is to change the column to text, which has no limit, and check length in the app if you need one.
**Short answer**
The number in the error is the limit, such as 255. Find which column has it, then change that column to text, or raise the limit if the number matters. If you need a cap, check the length in the form and with a check constraint, so the user sees a clear message instead of a database error.
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## **Why the value is too long, and the fix**
1. 01 ### **The column has a small limit**
> “An attempt to store a longer string into a column of these types will result in an error” [**PostgreSQL docs, Character types**](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/datatype-character.html) Schemas copied from MySQL habits or generated by tools often use varchar(255) for everything. Long names, URLs, notes and tokens don’t fit.
2. 02 ### **Find the column** The error gives the limit but not always the column. List the columns with that limit on the table.```
select column_name, character_maximum_length
from information_schema.columns
where table_schema = 'public' and table_name = 'profiles'
and character_maximum_length is not null;
```
3. 03 ### **Change it to text**
> “There is no performance difference among these three types, apart from increased storage space when using the blank-padded type, and a few extra CPU cycles” [**PostgreSQL docs, Character types**](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/datatype-character.html) text has no limit and, in Postgres, runs no slower than varchar. Change the column in a migration, or raise the limit with type varchar(500) if the number matters. If a view or policy uses the column, the alter fails until you drop and recreate it, and a new length check fails if old rows are already longer.```
alter table public.profiles
alter column bio type text;
-- keep a cap if you need one
alter table public.profiles
add constraint profiles_bio_length check (char_length(bio) <= 2000);
```
4. 04 ### **The limit counts characters, not bytes**
> “Both of these types can store strings up to n characters (not bytes) in length.” [**PostgreSQL docs, Character types**](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/datatype-character.html) Most emoji and accented letters count as one character, so the limit isn’t a byte count. In JavaScript, str.length counts some emoji as 2, so check [...str].length before you save.
Checked against the vendor’s docs on November 9, 2026: [PostgreSQL docs: Character types](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/datatype-character.html).
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Related: [**Supabase violates check constraint**](https://app369.com/fix/supabase-violates-check-constraint/) · [**Supabase violates not-null constraint**](https://app369.com/fix/supabase-null-value-violates-not-null-constraint/) · [**Supabase migration failed on db push**](https://app369.com/fix/supabase-migration-failed-db-push/) · [**Supabase invalid input syntax for type uuid**](https://app369.com/fix/supabase-invalid-input-syntax-for-type-uuid/)
Questions
## **More on this error**
**Is changing varchar to text safe? **+
Yes for the data: every value that fits varchar(n) fits text. But Postgres blocks the change if a view, rule or RLS policy uses the column. Drop those in the same migration, alter the column, then create them again.
**Why not just cut the string? **+
Cutting hides data loss. If a limit is real, tell the user in the form. If it isn’t, remove it.
**Can you fix it for me? **+
If one bug is the whole problem, the App Fix Ticket covers it: a written diagnosis first, then the fix. If the app has more going on, the Launch Check is a written check of the whole app. Each issue found is rated critical, high, medium or low, with where it is and how it was confirmed. No issues worth fixing, no charge. If the Launch Check finds nothing rated medium or higher, Simon refunds the full $450. You keep the report either way. This applies to the first 10 Launch Checks bought after October 30, 2026.
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