REMOVE

Example graph

CREATE
    (billy :Player {name: 'Billy', score: 84}),
    (andy :Player {name: 'Andy', score: 21}),
    (lori :Player:Admin {name: 'Lori', score: 90})

Remove attributes

The following query removes the ‘score’ attribute from the node representing Andy.

MATCH (n {name: 'Andy'})
REMOVE n.score
RETURN n.name, n.score

Result:

n.name	n.score
“Andy”	Null

Remove a label from a node

To remove a label from a node use the REMOVE clause as follows:

MATCH (n {name: 'Lori'})
REMOVE n:Admin
RETURN n.name, labels(n)

Result:

n.name	labels(n)
“Lori”	[Player]

Removing multiple labels from a node

Similar to removing a single label from a node we can use the REMOVE clause to remove multiple labels in one go

MATCH (n :Player {name: 'Lori'})
REMOVE n:Admin:Player
RETURN n.name, labels(n)

Result:

n.name	labels(n)
“Lori”	[]

Frequently Asked Questions 4

What is the difference between REMOVE and DELETE?

DELETE removes entire nodes or relationships from the graph. REMOVE removes properties from entities or labels from nodes without deleting the entity itself.

How do I remove a property from a node?

Use MATCH (n {name: 'Andy'}) REMOVE n.score to remove the score property. The property will return null after removal.

Can I remove multiple labels at once?

Yes. Use the syntax REMOVE n:Label1:Label2 to remove multiple labels from a node in a single operation.

What is the difference between REMOVE and SET property = NULL?

Both achieve the same result — they remove the property from the entity. REMOVE n.prop and SET n.prop = NULL are functionally equivalent.