Installation

Download the latest installer for your platform from the GitHub Releases page.

macOS

The recommended installation is through Homebrew:

brew install --cask zexahq/dbdesk/dbdesk

DBDesk for macOS currently requires Apple silicon (M1 or newer) and is not yet Developer ID signed or notarized. The Homebrew cask verifies the download checksum and clears the quarantine attribute during installation. Until Developer ID signing is available, update with brew update && brew upgrade --cask zexahq/dbdesk/dbdesk instead of the in-app updater.

You can still install the .dmg from the releases page manually. After mounting, drag DBDesk to your Applications folder and approve the app in System Settings if macOS blocks the first launch.

Linux

Download the .AppImage file from the releases page:

chmod +x dbdesk-*.AppImage
./dbdesk-*.AppImage

Windows

Download the .exe installer from the releases page. Run the installer and follow the setup wizard.

First Launch

When you open DBDesk for the first time, you'll see an empty connection screen. Let's add your first database:

Click Add Connection in the sidebar
Select PostgreSQL as the database type
Fill in your connection details:
- Connection Name — A friendly name for your connection
- Host — Usually localhost for local databases
- Port — Default is 5432
- Database — The name of the database to connect to
- Username — Your PostgreSQL username
- Password — Your PostgreSQL password
Click Test Connection to verify everything works
Click Save to add the connection

DBDesk is designed for keyboard-first workflows:

Ctrl+P — Open the Quick Panel for fast navigation
Ctrl+T — Open a new tab
Ctrl+W — Close the current tab
Ctrl+S — Save your current query
Ctrl+Enter — Execute the selected SQL query

Next Steps

Learn how DBDesk updates work
Learn about the Keyboard Shortcuts
Explore the Tech Stack
Download DBDesk from the releases page

Get Started