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HeidiSQL

Version tested: 12.6.0 Installer type: .exe official installer from heidisql.com

📦 Package Managers

Manager Install Command
winget winget install HeidiSQL.HeidiSQL
Chocolatey choco install heidisql
Scoop scoop install heidisql

📁 Registry Paths

  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\HeidiSQL
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\HeidiSQL_is1

🔑 Keys

User settings (HKCU\Software\HeidiSQL)

Key Name Type Description
Servers Subkey Parent key containing all saved database connection profiles
Servers\<n>\Host REG_SZ Hostname or IP address of the database server
Servers\<n>\User REG_SZ Login username
Servers\<n>\Password REG_SZ Obfuscated stored password
Servers\<n>\Port REG_DWORD Database port (e.g., 3306 for MySQL)
Servers\<n>\NetType REG_DWORD Connection type: 0 = MySQL TCP/IP, 1 = MySQL Socket, 2 = MSSQL, 3 = PostgreSQL
Servers\<n>\DatabasesExpanded REG_SZ Comma-separated list of expanded databases in the tree
ApplicationFont REG_SZ UI font name
ApplicationFontSize REG_DWORD UI font size in points

Uninstall entry (HKLM\...\Uninstall\HeidiSQL_is1)

Key Name Type Description
DisplayName REG_SZ HeidiSQL 12.6.0.6765
DisplayVersion REG_SZ Installed version
InstallLocation REG_SZ Root installation directory
Publisher REG_SZ Ansgar Becker
UninstallString REG_SZ Path to the Inno Setup uninstaller

📝 Notes

  • HeidiSQL stores all connection profiles directly in the registry under HKCU\Software\HeidiSQL\Servers. Each connection is numbered sequentially (1, 2, ...).
  • ⚠️ Security warning: Stored passwords are obfuscated (not encrypted). Anyone with read access to HKCU can decode them. Use Windows Credential Manager or SSH tunnels for sensitive connections.
  • To migrate connections between machines, export HKCU\Software\HeidiSQL and import on the target, or use HeidiSQL's built-in export (Settings → Export settings).
  • The portable version (ZIP download) stores all settings in portable_settings.txt alongside the executable and does not use the registry.
  • HeidiSQL supports MySQL/MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite, MSSQL, and Interbase — all use the same registry structure; the NetType value differentiates the engine.

🗑️ Cleanup

Remove-Item -Path "HKCU:\Software\HeidiSQL"  -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

Get-ChildItem "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall" |
  Where-Object { $_.GetValue("DisplayName") -like "HeidiSQL*" } |
  ForEach-Object { Remove-Item $_.PSPath -Recurse -Force }