Preview SQLite databases in Finder with Quick Look

Select a SQLite database in Finder, press Space, and inspect its basic information before opening an app window.

Select → Space → inspect

1. Install Petti in Applications and open it once.
2. In Finder, select a SQLite .sqlite, .sqlite3 or .db file.
3. Press Space to open Quick Look.
4. Choose Open with Petti when you want to browse the table data.

What the preview shows

Petti’s Quick Look extension displays the filename, the number of tables, views and indexes, table names, the main file’s size and its modification date. This is a compact metadata preview, not an editable grid or an exact count of rows.

It is useful when several database files have similar names: check the table names before choosing one to open. For actual records, search and filters, use the main SQLite viewer.

Read-only, with no upload

The extension reads database information locally through a read-only connection. Quick Look is included in the free viewing workflow; a paid editing license is not needed. Large databases are not loaded row by row just to produce this preview.

If Finder shows only a file icon

Confirm Petti is installed and has been opened. Check macOS extension settings for Petti’s Quick Look extension; the location of extension controls varies with macOS versions. Close the preview and try selecting the file again after enabling it.

A .db file might use a different database format, and another installed extension may handle the same file type. Try opening the file directly in Petti to distinguish an extension-registration issue from a file-format or access error. Petti 1 does not decrypt SQLCipher databases.

Select the main database, not its -wal or -shm companion. Keep those companions in place for a live database; see how WAL files work.