Specified key was too long; max key length is 1000 bytes Laravel Origin: Application & API Last updated 4 Nov 2026

Laravel: SQLSTATE[42000]: Syntax error or access violation: 1071 Specified key was too long; max key length is 767 bytes

An indexed string column exceeds the index size allowed by an older MySQL/MariaDB with utf8mb4.

Exact message you may see Specified key was too long; max key length is 767 bytesSQLSTATE[42000]: Syntax error or access violation: 1071 Specified key was too longmax key length is 1000 bytes LaravelSyntax error or access violation: 1071 Specified key was too long
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Seen on: Laravel PHP MySQL

Meaning

Laravel defaults to utf8mb4 (4 bytes per char), so varchar(255) indexed = 1020 bytes, over the 767/1000-byte limit on old MySQL (< 5.7.7) or MariaDB (< 10.2.2). Upgrade the DB, enable innodb_large_prefix with DYNAMIC rows, or set Schema::defaultStringLength(191) in AppServiceProvider::boot().

Common causes

  • Old MySQL/MariaDB version
  • ROW_FORMAT not DYNAMIC
  • Unique index on a long varchar
  • utf8mb4 charset on legacy server
  • Shared hosting DB defaults

⚡ Quick fix

  1. Schema::defaultStringLength(191); in AppServiceProvider::boot
  2. Upgrade MySQL to 5.7.7+ / MariaDB 10.2.2+
  3. Or use 191-length columns for indexed fields

Detailed fix by platform

Laravel

  1. in app/Providers/AppServiceProvider.php: use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema; public function boot() { Schema::defaultStringLength(191); }

How to diagnose

  1. DB — Version?
  2. Column — Indexed varchar length?
  3. Charset — utf8mb4?

🔧 Still not fixed?

Many errors look alike. If the steps above didn’t solve it, one of these is probably what you’re facing:

Where this error sits

Origin: Application & API. Errors that are often confused with or caused by this one (click to open):

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