Change Preferences
Open File -> Preferences on Windows/Linux or SQLife -> Preferences on macOS. Preferences are displayed in a tab in the main window. Use Apply to keep the tab open, OK to apply and close, or Cancel to discard changes.
General
General preferences include language, recent-file saving and limit, default password saving, SQL history limit, update checking and interval, theme, error submission, tips, auto-start, minimize-on-startup, and close-to-system-tray behavior.
The current UI supports English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, Turkish, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. Restart SQLife if a language change is not applied immediately.
Recent-file and SQL-history limits are configurable in the preference controls. Defaults and allowed ranges can change between releases, so use the values shown in the current control rather than relying on a fixed number from this guide.
Objects and Scripts
Objects controls whether object comments are shown and whether column-frequency information is collected.
Scripts controls the workspace folder and script-file filters. SQLife may create a .sqlife-index directory in the workspace for full-text content search; disable indexing when that workspace should not be indexed.
Database
Database preferences include date format, timestamp format and fractional-second digits, number format, reuse of the last selected schema, document-viewer location, and object metadata display options. These settings affect display and generated documents; they do not change values stored in the database.
Key Mapping
The Key Mapping table is part of the main Preferences tab. Double-click a key cell to edit it. Use the buttons below the table to export, import, or restore mappings.
Default navigation mappings include:
| Action | Windows/Linux | macOS |
|---|---|---|
| Objects tab | Ctrl+1 | Cmd+1 |
| Scripts tab | Ctrl+2 | Cmd+2 |
| Outline tab | Ctrl+O | Cmd+O |
| Assistant tab | Ctrl+4 | Cmd+4 |
| Function tab | Ctrl+5 | Cmd+5 |
| Next editor tab | Ctrl+Tab | Cmd+Tab |
| Previous editor tab | Ctrl+Shift+Tab | Cmd+Shift+Tab |
| Trigger suggestion | Ctrl+Shift+P | Cmd+Shift+P |
| Quick Query | Alt+Space | Option+Space |
Shortcuts are configurable, so the Key Mapping table is authoritative for the current installation.
Editor and Data View
Editor preferences include font family, font size, font weight, line numbers, line wrap, automatic indentation, tab size, and whether indentation uses spaces.
Data-view preferences include row limit, CSV quote character, CSV delimiter, and Snowflake data-center and machine identifiers used when applicable.
Sharing, AI, MCP, and Proxy
Sharing preferences set the default folder, port, duration, format, and password used by the result-sharing dialog. The dialog supports LAN or WWW links and HTML or PNG output.
The AI section contains MCP server enablement, port, link, modification permission, LLM provider, base URL, API key, temperature, and the option to ask before executing AI-generated actions. Treat API keys and MCP links as sensitive.
Proxy preferences provide HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS proxy URI fields plus non-proxy hosts. Configure them only when the network requires a proxy.
Resetting Settings
Use the restore action in the relevant preference area when available. For a complete reset, close SQLife and back up the SQLife data directory before removing preference data. Resetting application data can also remove saved connections, so use connection backup first.