Auto save
QueryDen can automatically persist open queries to .sql files on disk as you type, providing crash recovery and a browsable backup.
The Auto Save feature writes each editor tab’s text to a .sql file on disk, debounced so the file is updated shortly after you stop typing. This complements the in-app Local history snapshots by giving you a folder of .sql files you can browse, diff, or include in a filesystem backup.
Enabling auto save
Open Settings → Auto Save (Ctrl+Alt+S) and toggle Enable auto-save on. It is on by default.
The Save interval controls how many seconds of inactivity trigger a write. The default is 30 seconds; the minimum is 5, the maximum is 300 (5 minutes).
Auto-save files go to a dedicated auto-save/ subdirectory inside QueryDen’s app data folder. They are not saved inside your project or a location you choose — the app data directory is guaranteed writable and stays out of your way.
Where files are written
The app data directory location depends on your operating system:
| OS | Path |
|---|---|
| Linux | ~/.local/share/com.queryden.app/auto-save/ |
| macOS | ~/Library/Application Support/com.queryden.app/auto-save/ |
| Windows | %APPDATA%/com.queryden.app/auto-save/ |
File naming
Each tab’s auto-save file follows the convention:
{connectionName}_{databaseName}_{tabId}.sql- connectionName — the display name of the connection the tab is scoped to (sanitized, underscores replace special characters).
- databaseName — the selected database for the tab, or
noneif no database is selected. - tabId — the first 8 hex characters of the tab’s internal UUID, enough to distinguish multiple tabs scoped to the same connection + database.
When to use it
- The app crashed and you lost an unsaved query. Open the
auto-save/folder to find the latest.sqlfile for each tab you had open. - You want to periodically back up your in-progress queries as part of a broader filesystem backup strategy.
- You prefer working with
.sqlfiles on disk over an in-app save mechanism.