MySQL LEFT JOIN Keyword

The LEFT JOIN keyword returns all records from the left table (table1), and the matching records (if any) from the right table (table2).

LEFT JOIN Syntax

Demo Database

In this tutorial we will use the well-known Northwind sample database.

Below is a selection from the "Customers" table:

And a selection from the "Orders" table:

MySQL LEFT JOIN Example

The following SQL statement will select all customers, and any orders they might have:

SELECT Customers.CustomerName, Orders.OrderID FROM Customers LEFT JOIN Orders ON Customers.CustomerID = Orders.CustomerID ORDER BY Customers.CustomerName;

Note: The LEFT JOIN keyword returns all records from the left table (Customers), even if there are no matches in the right table (Orders).