Update Pivot Table Attributes Directly with updateExistingPivot()

Use updateExistingPivot() on belongsToMany relationships to update intermediate table columns without detaching or re-attaching models.

In many-to-many relationships (such as Users and Roles with an is_primary column, or Orders and Products with a quantity column), updating extra attributes on an existing pivot record using sync() risks detaching other records.

updateExistingPivot() updates only the specified intermediate table row.

Updating Intermediate Pivot Columns

use App\Models\User;

$user = User::find(1);
$roleId = 3;

// Updates attributes on the intermediate 'role_user' pivot table
$user->roles()->updateExistingPivot($roleId, [
    'is_primary' => true,
    'expires_at' => now()->addYear(),
]);

Updating Multiple Attributes

$order->products()->updateExistingPivot($productId, [
    'quantity'   => 5,
    'unit_price' => 19.99,
]);

Summary

• Updates extra pivot columns without modifying other attached records.
• Eliminates the need to detach and re-attach models.
• First argument accepts the related model ID; second argument accepts the attribute array.