DB Browser for SQLite
FreeOpen a SQLite file and edit it like a spreadsheet
A graphical tool dedicated to SQLite databases. Browse and edit rows like a spreadsheet, create and alter tables visually, run SQL, import and export CSV, and inspect or edit the schema. No server, no connection setup — just open the .db file. The Windows installer is about 17 MB.
Why we picked it
SQLite is everywhere: local data in mobile apps, browser history and cookies, configuration and
caches for countless desktop programs, small project databases, and intermediate storage in data
analysis. There are probably dozens of .db files on your machine right now.
Opening one to look inside is heavier than it should be with a full client like DBeaver — create a connection, pick a driver, download a jar. DB Browser for SQLite is the tool you just double-click. 24,452 stars.
Its scope is focused:
- Browse data in a spreadsheet view with sorting, filtering and direct cell editing. For the most common need — "I just want to see what is actually in this table" — it is the fastest path.
- Visual schema editing: add columns, change types, set primary and foreign keys, create indexes, without hand-writing ALTER TABLE (SQLite's ALTER is heavily restricted, and it handles the table-rebuild dance for you).
- Run SQL in a syntax-highlighted editor with directly exportable results.
- Import and export: CSV both ways, SQL dumps, and saving query results as new tables. The "load a CSV into a database and query it with SQL" workflow is smooth here.
- Encrypted database support for SQLCipher databases with the appropriate build.
Entirely offline, no network, no account — safe for sensitive data.
To be clear about:
- SQLite only. MySQL and PostgreSQL belong to DBeaver. That is positioning, not a shortcoming.
- Stable releases come slowly. The current stable build, v3.13.1, dates from October 2024, although development commits continue in the repository. It is a mature, stable tool with little functional churn, and the official site offers nightly development builds if you need newer features.
- Not for very large databases. Past a few hundred megabytes the grid view slows down; at that
scale, use the
sqlite3command line or a script. - Remember to press save. Edits are transactional and do not take effect until written back — easy to forget the first time.
For developers, analysts, and anyone curious about what an app stores locally, this is a small tool that costs nothing to keep installed and saves real effort when needed.