⌘K ctrl+k
Search Shortcut cmd + k | ctrl + k
LOAD / INSTALL Statements

INSTALL

The INSTALL statement downloads an extension so it can be loaded into a DuckDB session.

Examples

Install the httpfs extension:

INSTALL httpfs;

Install the h3 community extension:

INSTALL h3 FROM community;

Syntax

LOAD

The LOAD statement loads an installed DuckDB extension into the current session.

When autoinstall_known_extensions is enabled (the default), LOAD first installs the extension if it is a known extension that is not yet installed, so an explicit INSTALL is not always required. Loading an extension also installs and loads any extensions it depends on. For example, loading iceberg also installs the avro extension that it depends on.

Examples

Load the httpfs extension:

LOAD httpfs;

Load the spatial extension:

LOAD spatial;

Syntax

INSTALL AND LOAD

New The INSTALL AND LOAD statement was introduced in DuckDB 2.0.

The INSTALL AND LOAD statement installs an extension and loads it into the current session in a single step. It is equivalent to running INSTALL followed by LOAD. If the extension is already installed, the installation step is skipped; if it is already loaded, the loading step is skipped.

INSTALL AND LOAD supports the same clauses as INSTALL: it can be prefixed with FORCE and can be followed by a FROM clause to select the repository and a VERSION clause to select the version.

Examples

Install and load the spatial extension:

INSTALL AND LOAD spatial;

Install and load the h3 community extension:

INSTALL AND LOAD h3 FROM community;

Reinstall the httpfs extension from the core_nightly repository and load it:

FORCE INSTALL AND LOAD httpfs FROM core_nightly;
© 2026 DuckDB Foundation, Amsterdam NL
DuckDB Home Code of Conduct Trademark Use Blog