Where are the user settings saved?

I just installed Windows 7 on an SSD, and I'm migrating my settings over. Most programs have saved their settings in %appdata%, heidisql does have a folder there, but it does not remember my connections and it does a "First time using heidi SQL?" thing when I open it.

Where are these user settings stored?

In your registry, like many other applications do. Settings are located in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\HeidiSQL\

If you are using the portable version, you have a portable_settings.txt in the directory besides heidisql.exe.

That's pretty annoying, considering I've repurposed the harddrive for storage and wiped the Windows folder (still have users/program files for grabbing other stuff). I don't think I can access the old registry now.

Oh well, that just means I have to dig around in gmail to find my client's information again. Could be worse.

Thanks

Thanks.

Did I really double thanks? Whatever, don't see an edit button

Triple thanks.

Hehe, thanks, taking that as a compliment.

For the next time, remember to export settings to a backup file, using "File" > "Export settings", before wiping your Windows. Or, alternatively, always use the portable version, so you always have latest settings in a file.

Me too having this issue. I have successfully migrated the settings for 50+ applications by copying the AppData folders, except for HeidiSQL. I have created a feature request for this as AppData is pretty industry standard 2021.

I assume, looking at that exported file, it also contains saved queries ? So it actually sucks up everything from registry ?

Most of it, yes. What is currently stored and restored from elsewhere:

• query tab settings: C:\Users\[userid]\AppData\Roaming\HeidiSQL\tabs.ini
• automatically stored query tab contents: C:\Users\[userid]\AppData\Roaming\HeidiSQL\Backups\
• session logfiles: C:\Users\[userid]\AppData\Roaming\HeidiSQL\Sessionlogs\
• snippet files: C:\Users\[userid]\Documents\HeidiSQL\Snippets\

Hey guys, just wanted to step in and say I reinstalled Windows. All my appdata is still there but I completely forgot about HeidiSQL and the regedit entries of hosts. Windows do save the user appdata in a folder but not the divorced registry. :(

If you have the old Windows installation in a backup, then there's a way to restore settings from registry, including your sessions and general application setup. But your question reads as if you have no backup, or?

The problem is that backup software like Backblaze don't backup the Windows folder. I read the registry is stored in %SystemRoot%\System32\config.

But some user related registry is in %UserProfile%\Ntuser.dat

Do you think HeidiSQL uses the records in ntuser.dat?

Wohoo.. I did it! 😃

Windows stores ntuser.dat in the Windows.old\Users\Username folder. I managed to extract HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\HeidiSQL\Servers\ using MiTeC Windows Registry Recovery. Good to have a solution to fall back to.

It does not affect my opinion in stop using the Windows registry for the server profiles. There are times when it's a benefit being the odd man sticking out. And there are times when it's just better to blend in with the others. Honouring the %appdata% folder as one solid place for all userdata, instead of having storage spread around would be convenient I think, for most. 😉😁

On our site, HeidiSQL is located on a share from where developers start it.

We switched from 32 to 64 Bit and replaced the heidisql-binary with the most recent version.

Unfortunately the 64 Bit - variant does not find the previous settings (of the 32 bit variant).

We tried to export the settings from 32 bit and imported it into 64 bit. But the settings are no more user-specific but get imported into the central portable_settings - file next to the binary location.

How can we re-activate user-specific settings and avoid usage of the central portable-settings - file?

@UweAtWork: you have probably downloaded the portable zip from heidisql.com, not the installer. Probably intentionally, as you say you are executing it from a network share. The portable package stores its settings in the portable_settings.txt file, whereas the non-portable version stores its settings in the users registry area.

Luckily, the portable version has the same binaries as the installer. There are just two additional files which you can move or delete to turn it into a non-portable version:

• portable_settings.txt
• portable.lock

Caution: this is not the normal way to use HeidiSQL. The normal (supported) way is to use the installer which places the binaries on the users harddisk.

Luckily, the portable version has the same binaries as the installer.

Great - deleting both files did the trick - thank you!

The normal (supported) way is to use the installer...

The native installer does not contain the latest build which we require to get the customized tab-names...

We also need a Windows-Installer (MSI) Package. Sure - we could write and maintain a system startup-script to install it in the system-context using the native installer. But this raises security-concerns and is error prone because it could cause failures preventing users from using the machine (in the home-office).