Where apps hide your files

Finding DBeaver's workspace and data-sources.json

Updated 2026-10-28 · 5 min read

DBeaver does not store your connections or SQL scripts inside the app. They sit in a workspace folder in your Library, which you can export as a project or copy whole to a new Mac.

Where the files are

The default DBeaver data folder on macOS, per DBeaver's own documentation:

~/Library/DBeaverData/

Your connections live in the default project, General, inside the workspace folder:

~/Library/DBeaverData/workspace6/General/.dbeaver/data-sources.json

Your SQL scripts are in the same project, in its Scripts folder:

~/Library/DBeaverData/workspace6/General/Scripts/

~/Library is hidden in Finder by default. Choose Go > Go to Folder (or press ⇧⌘G), paste the path and press Return. From Terminal:

open ~/Library/DBeaverData/workspace6/General

The .dbeaver folder inside General starts with a dot, so it stays hidden even once you are in the project folder. Press ⇧⌘. in a Finder window to show hidden items, or go straight to it with Go to Folder.

DBeaver's documentation gives the data folder, workspace6 and the General project as the default home for data-sources.json. The Scripts folder name comes from DBeaver itself: the app's SQL script resource type is defined with a root folder called Scripts, which the Project Explorer shows under each project. If you cannot find your files, you may be using a different workspace or project (see below).

What each folder holds

DBeaver's workspace-location page lists these folders under DBeaverData:

Folder	What it holds
workspace6	The workspace: projects, connections, scripts and the app's own metadata
drivers	Database drivers DBeaver downloads automatically (JDBC jars)
install-data	Runtime files used by different product versions
secure	Global credentials, encrypted with the master password
settings	Global settings, such as the interface language

Inside the General project, the files people usually want are:

File or folder	What it is
.dbeaver/data-sources.json	Every connection: name, driver, host, port, database and per-connection options
.dbeaver/credentials-config.json	Saved user names and passwords, which DBeaver's documentation says are stored in this encrypted file
.dbeaver/data-sources-*.json	Extra connection files. DBeaver loads any data-sources*.json in that folder at startup
Scripts/	Your .sql files. New ones get names that start with Script until you rename them

If Create script folder for each connection is turned on in DBeaver's SQL editor preferences, scripts sit in subfolders of Scripts named after their connections.

DBeaver versions before 6.1.3 stored connections in .dbeaver-data-sources.xml instead. If you are restoring a very old backup, that is the file to look for.

Why connections are plain text but passwords are not

data-sources.json holds the structure of each connection and is readable text. Credentials are split into credentials-config.json, which is encrypted, so you can share or version a connection list without sharing logins. Do not open or paste the credentials file anywhere. When you hand a project to someone else, leave it out and let them enter their own login.

Moving DBeaver to a new Mac

The supported route is inside the app. Choose File > Export, pick DBeaver, then Project, and save the archive. On the new Mac, choose File > Import, then DBeaver > Project. DBeaver's projects page describes this as the way to share or back up configurations without migrating the entire workspace. The same DBeaver group in the export wizard also offers Scripts and Preferences on their own.

The fallback is copying the workspace. Quit DBeaver first, then copy ~/Library/DBeaverData/workspace6 to the same place on the new Mac before you launch DBeaver there. This brings projects, connections, scripts and the encrypted credentials together. Check on the new Mac that saved passwords still work, and re-enter any that do not.

Drivers in drivers are downloaded again when needed, so you can skip that folder to keep the copy small.

Changing the workspace location

DBeaver's documentation describes three ways to point at a different workspace:

• File > Switch Workspace, then pick a workspace you used before or click Other..., choose a folder and click Launch.
• The -data <path> command-line argument.
• The DBEAVER_WORKSPACE environment variable for the workspace, or DBEAVER_DATA for the whole DBeaverData folder.

If DBeaver opened empty one day, you may have switched workspace at some point. File > Switch Workspace lists the workspaces you have used, so you can find the old one there.

A project can also live outside the workspace. When you create one, DBeaver offers Use default location or a folder of your choice, and a project created elsewhere keeps its .dbeaver and Scripts folders in that folder instead of under workspace6.

Which build you have

The Mac used for this guide has the DMG build of DBeaver Community 24.2.0 installed (its dbeaver.ini carries -Ddbeaver.distribution.type=dmg), but it has never been launched, so no DBeaverData folder exists on it yet. The paths above therefore come from DBeaver's documentation and the app's own plug-in definitions, not from a live workspace. A Homebrew cask install puts the same DBeaver.app in Applications, so it should use the same data folder.

Why Finder and Spotlight skip it

Spotlight and Finder searches leave out results from ~/Library, and the .dbeaver folder is a hidden dot-folder as well. A Finder search for "data-sources" finds nothing even though the file exists.

Finding it again later

Typing data-sources into Everywhere lists every data-sources.json on the Mac, one per DBeaver project, including projects stored outside the workspace. ~/Library/DBeaverData is not one of the folders macOS protects, so it is covered without Full Disk Access. Typing a script's name finds the .sql file under Scripts, and ⌘↵ reveals it in Finder. It matches file names only, so it will not find a query by the SQL inside it.

Common questions

Where is data-sources.json on a Mac?

In ~/Library/DBeaverData/workspace6/General/.dbeaver/data-sources.json for the default General project. Each project has its own .dbeaver folder.

Where does DBeaver save SQL scripts on a Mac?

In the Scripts folder of the project, which for the default project is ~/Library/DBeaverData/workspace6/General/Scripts. The Project Explorer shows the same folder.

How do I change the DBeaver workspace location?

Use File > Switch Workspace and click Other, start DBeaver with -data <path>, or set the DBEAVER_WORKSPACE environment variable.

Are DBeaver passwords stored in data-sources.json?

No. Saved user names and passwords go in the encrypted credentials-config.json in the same .dbeaver folder.