Repair a Damaged database.db File

If database.db is damaged, the app may fail to enter the workspace, switch databases, or initialize the database. The repair tool attempts to recover readable data into a usable database file.

Steps

1. Open the Tools menu.
2. Choose the database repair entry.
3. Select the damaged database.db file.
4. Start repair and wait for progress to finish.
5. After repair succeeds, let the app initialize or switch to the repaired database.

What Repair Does

The repair process backs up the damaged file first, then tries to recover as many tables and records as possible. It may also handle related WAL or SHM files when available.

Repair is a best-effort process. It cannot guarantee full recovery when the source file is severely damaged.

Automatically Opened Repair Dialog

When the app detects a damaged database while switching or initializing, it may open the repair dialog automatically. Follow the same process and avoid writing the database path into settings before repair succeeds.

Notes

• Keep a copy of the original damaged file before trying other manual operations.
• Do not rename random files to database.db; choose the real database file.
• If repair succeeds but some images are missing, refresh folders or rebuild indexes afterwards.

Common Cases

• If the database cannot be opened, try repair before creating a new empty database.
• If the repaired database opens but search data is incomplete, rebuild the related indexes.
• If the source material folders moved, repair the database first, then update or refresh paths.