SQLiteDesk

1. Overview

SQLiteDesk is a desktop manager for SQLite databases on Windows, including SQLCipher-encrypted ones. It puts everything you need into one window:

• Open or create SQLite databases — with a password prompt for encrypted files and a recent-files list.
• Browse and edit rows in a paged grid with inline editing.
• Run SQL in a full editor with syntax highlighting and schema-aware autocomplete.
• Design tables visually, with a live DDL preview.
• Draw ER diagrams of existing databases or new ones you're sketching out.
• Import / export CSV, JSON, and SQL.
• Back up a live database safely and restore it later.
• Maintain a database — VACUUM, integrity check, encrypt / decrypt, change password.

2. Install & Requirements

SQLiteDesk ships as a single-file sqlitedesk.exe. Install from Microsoft Store and run — no installer required.

• Windows 10 / 11 (x64)

You can also launch the app with a database path to open it on startup (used for file associations).

3. Welcome Screen & Opening Databases

On launch, the welcome screen shows a logo hero, “Get started” cards, and a list of recent databases with their size and last-modified date — double-click any of them to open.

Opening an existing database

• File → Open… — pick a .db, .sqlite, or .sqlite3 file.
• Or double-click any entry in the recent list.
• If the file is SQLCipher-encrypted, you'll be prompted for the password. The password is used only for that session — never persisted.

Creating a new database

• File → New… — pick a filename and a folder.
• To create an encrypted database, tick “Encrypt” in the dialog and supply a password. The file is encrypted on first write — never left as a stray unencrypted blank.

Opening from the command line

Pass a database path to open it on startup:

sqlitedesk.exe "C:\path\to\db.sqlite"

Used for file associations — double-click a .db in Explorer and SQLiteDesk opens it.

4. Database Explorer

The left panel is the multi-database explorer — every database you've opened in this session at a glance.

• Search box at the top filters the list by name.
• Each database shows its file path and a count badge of how many objects it has.
• The footer shows the total database count and combined file size.
• Right-click a database for context actions; right-click an object (table, view, index, trigger) for object-specific actions.

5. Browse & Edit Tables

Click a table in the schema tree to open it in the Browse tab.

• Rows load in pages — the default page size is set in Settings.
• Click a cell to select it; double-click (or press F2) to edit in place. Press Enter to commit and move to the next column (Excel-style), or Tab to step across cells.
• Add a new row using the empty row at the bottom of the grid — SQLiteDesk picks up the rowid / primary key for you.
• Select one or more rows and use Delete row(s) from the context menu. Tables without a primary key or rowid open read-only.
• Per-table Export is in the right-click menu: CSV, JSON, or SQL INSERT.

6. SQL Workspace

The SQL workspace is a full editor for writing your own statements.

• SQLite syntax highlighting — keywords, strings, identifiers all colour-coded.
• Autocomplete — press Ctrl+Space to get table and column suggestions based on the current schema.
• Run script or just run the selection with F5.
• Multiple result grids — if your script has several SELECTs, you get one grid per result.
• Run against picker — pick which open database the current editor targets, so it's always explicit.

Query history

Every statement you run is saved to a persistent history. Open the History rail on the right to scroll back — pick any entry to load it into the editor. History is preserved across launches.

7. Schema Designer

The schema designer is a visual table builder.

1. Choose Create table… from a database's context menu.
2. Add columns one at a time — name, type, and flags: PK, NOT NULL, Unique, Auto-increment, plus an optional default.
3. Add foreign keys by picking a column from another table.
4. The DDL preview at the bottom updates live as you change settings.
5. Click Create to apply the table to the database.

You can also rename and drop tables, views, indexes, and triggers right from the schema tree's context menu.

8. ER Designer & ER Diagram

SQLiteDesk has two ER tools:

Interactive ER Designer

A blank canvas for designing a new schema visually.

• Drag tables onto the canvas — double-click to give them columns inline.
• Draw foreign keys by field-to-field dragging — pull from one column onto another.
• The SQL preview updates live as you build.
• Click Create schema to create every table in the currently-selected database in one go.

ER Diagram (of an existing database)

From an open database's context menu, pick Show ER diagram. SQLiteDesk reads the live schema and draws a visual map of tables and the foreign-key relationships between them. Useful for understanding a database you didn't design yourself.

9. Import & Export

Importing

• CSV — pick a file and a target table (or create a new one); SQLiteDesk infers column types and creates the table if needed.
• JSON — same flow as CSV but for JSON arrays.
• SQL script — run a .sql file against the current database.

Exporting

• Per-table export from the Browse tab or right-click menu: CSV, JSON, or SQL INSERT.
• Per-query export from the result grid — same three formats.
• Whole database dump — export the entire schema and data as a .sql script.

10. Backup & Restore

Use the online backup tool to make a safe copy of a database while writes are happening — it's not just a file copy.

• Backup… — pick a destination file. SQLiteDesk streams the database into a fresh file using SQLite's backup API.
• Restore… — pick a backup file to restore into a chosen target database.
• You can optionally re-encrypt the result — useful for moving an unencrypted database to an encrypted one or vice versa.

11. Maintenance & SQLCipher

The Maintenance menu (utility rail on the right) gathers everything you need to keep a database healthy.

Routine maintenance

• Stats — page count, file size, free pages, row counts per table.
• VACUUM — reclaim free pages and reduce the file size.
• ANALYZE — refresh the query planner's statistics.
• REINDEX — rebuild indexes after a collation change.
• Integrity check — verify the database isn't corrupt.

SQLCipher

• Encrypt — turn an unencrypted database into an encrypted one with a password.
• Decrypt — the reverse: turn an encrypted database back into a plain one.
• Change password — re-key an existing encrypted database with a new password.

12. Settings & Themes

• Theme — light by default; switch to dark from Settings. The active tab is always clearly highlighted regardless of theme.
• Default page size — how many rows the Browse grid loads at a time.
• Utility rail — the vertical bar on the right with History, Refresh, Maintenance, Settings, and About is always one click away.

Open the About dialog to see the version, build number, and build date — the build number bumps with every release, so it's a quick way to confirm which version you're running.

13. Where SQLiteDesk Keeps Its Data

Everything SQLiteDesk writes stays under your user folder:

Nothing is uploaded; SQLiteDesk runs entirely offline.