Additions, deprecations, removals, and compatibility
Cypher® is a language that is constantly evolving. New features are added to the language continuously, and occasionally, some features become deprecated and are subsequently removed. All changes to Cypher are introduced in Neo4j versions.
This section lists all of the features that have been removed, deprecated, added, or extended in different versions of Neo4j. Replacement syntax for deprecated and removed features are also indicated.
Neo4j 2026.02+ databases explicitly set Cypher 25 as their query language.
Cypher 25 was introduced in Neo4j 2025.06 and can only be used on Neo4j 2025.06+ databases.
Any new Cypher features introduced in Neo4j 2025.06 or later will be exclusively added to Cypher 25.
Features removed in Cypher 25 are still available on Neo4j 2025.06+ databases either by prepending a query with CYPHER 5 or by having Cypher 5 as the default language for the database.
For more information, see Select Cypher version.
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Neo4j 2026.05
Updates
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
Updated
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Explicit path modes such as |
Updated
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Show indexes, constraints, current graph type, functions, procedures, settings, databases, and transactions, and terminate transactions can be combined with each other and general Cypher clauses in a single query.
For more information, see SHOW → Composable |
Updated
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Show settings, databases, and transactions, and terminate transactions treat For full information about these commands, see the following pages in the Operations Manual: |
New
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
New
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Introduction of three new string-based Cypher functions: |
Neo4j 2026.04
Deprecations
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
Deprecated
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Deprecated the two vector index procedures |
New
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
New
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New
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Neo4j 2026.03
New
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
New
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Introduction of the |
New
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A new |
New
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A new column |
Neo4j 2026.02
Updates
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
Updated New databases now explicitly set Cyper 25 as their query language. |
New self-managed installations and new Aura instances now explicitly set Cyper 25 as their query language.
New self-managed deployments have the setting + In Aura, Cypher 25 is the default for newly created organisations. The default query language attached to created databases is determined by the organisation setting "Default Cypher Version" and can be manually changed. |
Updated
|
Introduced two new columns returned by
For more information, see Constraints → Return columns and Graph types → Graph type elements in |
Updated
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The |
Updated
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The |
New
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
New Added the performance-improving operator |
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New Preview
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Introduced the ability to set a graph type for a database using the |
New Preview
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Introduced the ability to extend graph types using the |
New Preview
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Introduced the ability to alter element types in a graph type using the |
New Preview
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Introduced the ability to show graph types using the |
New Preview
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Introduced the ability to drop element types and constraints from graph types using the |
New GQL naming aliases for functions
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Cypher now provides GQL naming aliases so that queries written for other GQL implementations can run with minimal changes.
Aliases added: |
Neo4j 2026.01
Updates
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
New
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Vector indexes can now have multiple labels, relationship types or include additional properties for filtering. |
New
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
New
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A new SEARCH subclause for |
New Introduced a query size limit. |
Introduced a query size limit for a query to be considered for query caching. This limit is used to prevent large generated query text strings from occupying memory in the query cache. |
Neo4j 2025.11
Updates
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
Updated
|
Cypher can now leverage indexes on property values, improving the performance of
|
New
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
New
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Introduction of eight new collection-based Cypher functions. For more information, see Functions → List functions. |
New Added the performance-improving operators |
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Neo4j 2025.10
Updates
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
Updated
|
The |
Updated
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The following constructors of temporal types have been extended with the optional argument |
New
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
New
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Introduced a |
New
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New
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New |
New
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New |
New
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New |
New
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Introduced |
Neo4j 2025.09
New
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
New
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Cypher’s new |
New New operator: |
Introduced |
Neo4j 2025.08
Updates
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
Updated
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Updated
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Cypher can now leverage token lookup indexes when planning queries with dynamic labels and relationship types.
This is enabled by the introduction of three new query plan operators: |
New
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
New
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New |
Neo4j 2025.07
Updates
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
Updated
|
Added the ability to dynamically reference node labels and relationship types in places where label expressions are allowed. |
Neo4j 2025.06
Removals
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
Removed
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The option |
Removed
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The option |
Removed
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Graph references with separately backticked name parts have been removed. Use parameters or backtick the entire name, e.g. |
Removed
|
The Unicode character |
Removed
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The character with the Unicode representation The following Unicode Characters are removed in identifiers:
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Removed
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Using a
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Removed
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Errors have replaced notifications for impossible |
Removed
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It is no longer possible to specify a property of one entity (node or relationship) by referring to another entity’s property within the same |
Removed
|
Specifying an index provider in the |
Removed
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These procedures have been removed from Cypher 25. For more information, see the Operations Manual → Procedures. |
Deprecations
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
Deprecated
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The option |
Updates
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
Updated
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Imported variables are now correctly handled as constants inside |
Updated
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Parameters can start with extended identifier characters (such as numbers), in line with the GQL standard. For more information, see Parameters. |
Updated
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Parameters can now be used in |
Updated
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The column |
Syntax Updated
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The constraint type keyword filtering for |
Updated
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Several
For more information, see the Operations Manual → Show and terminate transactions. |
Updated
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Graph references in the arguments of the functions In Cypher 5, if a composite database or constituent name contains dots, those name parts have to be wrapped in quotes to resolve the name correctly, e.g., |
Updated
|
Queries no longer require |
Updated
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The |
New
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
New
|
Set the default Cypher version for a standard or composite database when creating it.
The available versions are |
New
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Set the default Cypher version for a remote database alias when creating it.
The available versions are |
New
|
Alter the default Cypher version of an existing standard or composite database.
The available versions are |
New
|
Alter the default Cypher version of a remote database alias.
The available versions are |
New
|
The new return column |
New
|
The new return column |
New
|
New query option: |
New
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New |
New
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New |
New
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|
New
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Introduction of |
New
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|
New
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The option |
New
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You can specify the name of a source database if the |
New
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Introduction of four new hyperbolic trigonometric Cypher functions. For more information, see Mathematical functions - trigonometric. |
New
|
The keyword |
New
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The keyword |
New
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Introduction of |
New
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New keyword, |