• Windows
• Mac
• Command line parameters
  • DBeaver control
  • System parameters
    • VM arguments
    • Connection parameters
  • Declare external variables in a file

Command line parameters can be passed directly to the DBeaver executable. The way to do this depends on your operating system:

You can use the dbeaver-cli.exe [parameters] executable. This executable does not spawn a new window, so you can see the output messages.

Parameters can be passed to DBeaver in one of two ways:

• Use the open command followed by the -a flag and the name of the application, along with any necessary arguments. Depending on the version of DBeaver, you might need to specify DBeaver.app, DBeaverLite.app, DBeaverEE.app, DBeaverUltimate.app, or DBeaverTeam.app. For example: open -a "DBeaver.app" --args [parameters].
  Note: This method does not redirect logging messages, stdout, and stderr to the terminal.
• Pass parameters directly to the DBeaver executable in the terminal using the path where the .app file is located. For example: /Applications/DBeaver.app/Content/MacOS/dbeaver [parameters]. This method redirects logging messages, stdout, and stderr to the terminal.

For both Windows and Mac, parameters can also be added in the dbeaver.ini configuration file. These should be written at the beginning of the file, with each parameter on its own line.

Tip: Detailed instructions on finding dbeaver.ini are available in our article.

Name	Value	Example
-help	Prints help message
-stop	Quits DBeaver
-dump	Prints DBeaver thread dump
-f	Opens the file in DBeaver UI, if the command has -con argument, connects it to datasource	-f c:\some-path\some-file.sql
-con	Opens database connection in DBeaver UI	See connection parameters table
-closeTabs	Closes all open editor tabs
-disconnectAll	Closes all open connections
-reuseWorkspace	Forces reuse of single workspace by multiple DBeaver instances
-newInstance	Forces new DBeaver instance creation (do not try to reuse already running one)
-bringToFront	Brings the DBeaver window on top of other applications
-var	Customs variables for runTask. You can change existing variables in the task. You cannot add new task variables with this parameter. You can add several parameters at once to the command line, each starting with "-var". Used right before -runTask. Template: -var variableName=variableValue	-var film=sakila.film -var actor=sakila.actor -runTask "exportFromSakila" PRO versions only.
-vars	Path to a property file with variables	-vars c:\path\to\file.properties For more information see the main article
-runTask	Executes specified task	-runTask "@projectName:taskName". PRO versions only. See task scheduler.
-license	Path to the license file	-license "/etc/licenses/dbeaver.txt". PRO versions only.

You can pass any advanced Java parameters supported by your local JVM. Parameters supported by HotSpot JVM (17): https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/17/docs/specs/man/java.html

Parameters supported by all JVMs:

All connection parameters must be supplied as a single command line argument. The parameters are divided by pipe (|). The parameter name and value is divided by =.
Example: -con "driver=sqlite|database=C:\db\SQLite\Chinook.db|name=SQLiteChin|openConsole=true|folder=SQLite"

See the main article