Export all TablePlus connections with passwords

By Anil Gautam · September 22, 2026 · plainDB for Mac

Moving your connections should not mean typing every password again. Export a password-protected connection file from TablePlus with credentials included, then unlock it in plainDB. The export instructions below use TablePlus for Mac. plainDB for Mac and Windows can import the resulting file. On Windows, choose File → Import TablePlus Connections…, unlock the file if prompted, review the entries and select which connections to import. Key files must be available on the destination computer.

Two different passwords are involved

Your database password signs you in to a database. The export password protects the file containing your saved connections. Setting an export password does not, by itself, include your database passwords: you must select the password options when exporting.

A connection export moves connection settings. It is not a backup of your tables, records or query history.

1. Export every connection from TablePlus

  1. Open the TablePlus connection list and right-click a connection group.
  2. Choose Export Connections, then the option to export all connections.
  3. Enable Include databases password. If you use password-based SSH connections, also enable Include servers password.
  4. Enter a password to protect the export, then save the .tableplusconnection file. Keep that password available for the import.

Menu wording can vary between TablePlus versions. See the official TablePlus connection-management guide for its export controls.

2. Open the file in plainDB

  1. In plainDB, open Add connection at the bottom of the connections sidebar and choose Import from TablePlus…. The welcome screen also has an import link.
  2. Select Choose File… and open the exported connection file.
  3. Enter the file’s password in Export password, then select Unlock. Use the password you set during export, rather than a database or Mac login password.

plainDB decrypts the export locally on your Mac. The import does not upload the file or its passwords to a server.

3. Check the preview before importing

The preview lists each connection’s name, database driver and server. Look at the DB password column: Included means the file supplied a database password for that connection; Not included means it did not.

Select the connections you want, then click Import. Unsupported entries cannot be selected. Imported database passwords and supported SSH passwords are saved in your Mac’s Keychain.

The password column reports database credentials, not SSH credentials. After importing an SSH connection, open its settings and check the SSH host, user and authentication method separately.

4. Reconnect and check SSH keys

Open an imported connection and use Test Connection in its editor. Confirm that it reaches the expected server and database before using it for everyday work.

SSH and SSL private keys are not included in the TablePlus export. If a connection uses a private key, make the key available on the destination Mac and click Choose Key… in the import preview to attach it. You can also open Edit Connection → Connect through an SSH tunnel → Choose Key File… afterward. Use Change… to select a different key, or Remove to return to your SSH agent and configuration. For an encrypted key, enter its passphrase in the connection editor. Keep the key at its selected location; plainDB stores the path, not a copy of the key. A path pointing to a file on your old computer will not transfer that file.

If passwords are still missing

If the preview says Not included, export again from TablePlus with the appropriate password options enabled. Unlocking a file cannot recover credentials that were never included. You can also enter the missing password manually in plainDB’s connection editor.

If unlocking fails, check the export password and select the original file again. An encrypted export may look like unreadable bytes in a text editor; import the file itself rather than copying its contents.

You do not need to delete every connection before retrying. When an imported entry exactly matches an existing connection’s identifying settings, plainDB reuses that connection and imports its supplied credentials. Changed names or settings can create a separate entry, so check the list after importing.

If the password is included but connecting still fails, check the connection’s server, username, database, SSL and SSH settings. Successful decryption confirms that plainDB could read the export; it does not confirm that the database will accept those settings.

Need help with the next step? See PostgreSQL connection setup, connecting to Supabase, or download the current plainDB release.