- Start an export by right-clicking the results grid and choosing Export data, by choosing Execute, Export from Query in the SQL editor, or by right-clicking a table and choosing Export Data.
- CSV, JSON, HTML, Markdown, SQL INSERT statements, TXT and XML exports are in Community; DBeaver's data transfer page marks XLSX and Parquet export as PRO.
- For Excel files in Community, DBeaver's Eclipse extensions page lists an Office integration extension that exports XLS/XLSX; the paid editions include Excel export.
- Exports run in the background, can re-run the query or use only the rows already fetched, and can be saved as tasks.
Three ways to start a DBeaver export
DBeaver's Data export documentation lists three starting points, and they differ in where the data comes from:
- Query results or the Data Editor: right-click the results grid and choose Export data. Only this route offers Use fetched rows, Selected rows only and Selected columns only, so you can export exactly what you are looking at.
- SQL script: in the SQL editor, choose Execute, Export from Query. The query runs again and every row goes to the file, not only the rows shown in the grid.
- Connections view: right-click one or more tables and choose Export Data to export whole tables.
The second and third routes always read directly from the database. That matters for large results, because the grid normally shows only the first page of rows.
Export query results to CSV, step by step
- Start the export using one of the routes above, choose CSV and select Next.
- Choose the columns to export with Columns, and set extraction options. Open new connection(s) is recommended if you will keep working in the database while the export runs; Select row count shows progress but can slow some exports.
- Set the format settings: encoding, how binary values are written, and the CSV options in the table below.
- Choose the output: a local folder and file name, or external storage.
- Review the summary. Select Save if you want a reusable task, then Proceed or Finish.
For a CSV that opens cleanly in a spreadsheet, keep the header at top, choose the delimiter your spreadsheet expects (some locales use semicolons), and decide what to write for NULL values.
| Setting | Options | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Delimiter | Any character; \t, \n and \r allowed | Comma by default |
| Header | none, top, bottom | top gives column names in the first row |
| Header format | label, description, both | label uses column names |
| Quote always / Quote never | disabled, all, strings, all but numbers, all including nulls | Cannot combine the two |
| NULL string | Any text | Empty by default |
| Format numbers | true or false | Applies locale number formatting |
| Row delimiter | default, \n, \r, \r\n, \n\r | Default is the system line ending |
DBeaver export to Excel (XLSX)
In DBeaver's list of supported export formats, XLSX (and Parquet) carry the marker for features available only in PRO. The DBeaver Lite product page, for example, advertises export to CSV, Excel and more than nine other formats. In a paid edition, choose XLSX on the first page of the wizard; the remaining steps match the CSV steps.
In Community, DBeaver's Eclipse extensions page lists an Office integration extension that exports data in Office formats (XLS/XLSX) and works with Microsoft Office, LibreOffice, OpenOffice and macOS Numbers. The documented install steps are: open Help, Install New Software, choose the extension or paste its repository URL into Work with, select it, select Next and Finish, then restart DBeaver. DBeaver warns that installation can fail if DBeaver is in a write-protected folder such as Program Files, so run it from a writable folder or as administrator. If you cannot install extensions, export CSV and open it in your spreadsheet.
XLSX settings worth knowing: Max row on sheet splits large results across sheets, Export SQL writes the query to a second sheet, Header format and Header row font style the first row, and Append strategy controls whether data goes to new or existing sheets when you append to a file.
Quicker options: Advanced Copy and the @export command
For a handful of rows, select cells in the grid and use Advanced Copy (Ctrl+Shift+C on Windows and Linux), then paste into a spreadsheet; see our DBeaver shortcuts cheat sheet for more.
In a SQL script, the @export command opens the data transfer wizard with settings pre-filled from a single line of JSON, followed by the query to export. Setting names such as outputFolder, outputFilePattern, delimiter and header come from DBeaver's Export command reference. The command must be written on one line.
@export { "type": "csv", "producer": {}, "consumer": { "outputFolder": "C:/exports", "outputFilePattern": "orders_${timestamp}" }, "processor": { "delimiter": ";", "header": "top" } }
SELECT * FROM orders;Frequently asked questions
Can DBeaver Community export to Excel?
Not out of the box: DBeaver's documentation marks XLSX export as a PRO format. DBeaver documents an Office integration extension, installed through Help, Install New Software, that adds XLS/XLSX export. CSV export, which Excel opens, is built in.
Why does my DBeaver export contain fewer rows than the query returns?
If you exported from the results grid with Use fetched rows, only the rows already loaded are written. Clear that option, or start the export with Execute, Export from Query, which reads directly from the database.
How do I export several tables at once?
Select the tables in the Connections view, right-click and choose Export Data. The Maximum threads option can extract several tables in parallel.
Can I schedule a DBeaver export?
You can save any export as a task in Community and run it again manually. Scheduling tasks is a feature of the Enterprise and Ultimate editions; see DBeaver pricing.
Can DBeaver export results as INSERT statements?
Yes. Choose the SQL format; its settings include rows per statement, the target table name and, for some databases, an upsert keyword.
Sources
- DBeaver docs: Data export
- DBeaver docs: Data transfer (supported formats)
- DBeaver docs: Eclipse extensions
- DBeaver docs: Export command
- DBeaver docs: Shortcuts
- DBeaver Lite product page
- DBeaver: Compare editions
Checked 8 October 2026.
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