.DB File Extension

Mobile devices, such as Android and iOS mobile phones, store a variety of information in DB database files. For example, a DB file may contain your contacts, your SMS information, or other device or application data. DB files are commonly saved in a SQLite database format, but they are also commonly locked or encrypted, so you cannot access or edit their data.

One example DB file is sms.db, an iOS support file that stores your text messages. It is located in a device's /​private/​var/​mobile/​Library/​SMS/​ directory. Another example is consolidated.db, an iOS file that contains your tracked location information.

DB files stored on a mobile device are generally not meant to be opened or edited, since they are support files used by the device or an application.

A DB file may also be a generic database file. It stores data in a structured format, usually comprised of a set of tables, table fields, field data types, and field values. Many applications create and use different, application-specific types of DB files.

Applications that need to store and retrieve information from structured databases often save that information in a DB file, for easy access. These files are typically not meant to be opened by users. For this reason, some DB files are encrypted.

While different applications use differently-formatted DB files, many DB files are saved in the SQLite database format (also used by .SQLITE files). In some applications, users can export the data the app's DB files contain as a .CSV file, to view the data more easily.

Many types of DB files are not meant to be opened by users. However, if your DB file is a SQLite database, you can open it and view the data it contains with SQLite Database Browser. Keep in mind that, if your DB file is encrypted, you will not be able to open it unless you know the encryption password.

Thumbs.db is a cache file used to load thumbnail images. Windows creates a Thumbs.db file in folders that contain images, so it can load thumbnails of those images more quickly. Windows shows Thumbs.db files only if you have chosen to show hidden files.

You can delete Thumbs.db files, but unless you modify Windows' settings, it will automatically recreate them. For more information about Thumbs.db files, including how to stop Windows from creating them, refer to this article.

Thumbs.db files are not meant to be opened.

A DB file may also be an account database used by Tencent QQ, a Chinese online messaging program. It may store a user's contact list or a log of their messaging sessions. QQ files are used to store application data locally and load it without connecting to the Internet.

Tencent QQ is a popular, multiplatform messaging application that allows users to chat with and call each other. Local installs of Tencent QQ save a variety of user-specific information in DB files. In the Windows version of QQ, DB files are saved in the ~/​Program Files/​Tencent/​QQ/​Account number] directory. Some example DB files include user.db and MsgEx.db.

DB files used by Tencent QQ are encrypted and not meant to be opened.

A DB file may also be a database used by a video game developed using the X-Ray Engine, such as S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, and S.T.A.LK.E.R.: Call of Pripyat. It contains data used to show in-game objects and other information. DB files are similar to the GCF files used by Valve-based games.

GSC Game World used the X-Ray Engine to develop the first three games in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series. These games all use DB database files. Some of these files use slightly altered file extensions, such as .db0, .db1, .dba, .dbb, and so on.

Later games in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series were not developed using the X-Ray Engine. While these games also use DB files, they are not formatted the same as X-Ray Engine DB files.

Modders can use the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Data Unpacker (Windows) to extract files from or add files to X-Ray Engine DB files.

A DB file used by Skype contains a user's chat and call history. This includes all the user's sent and received chat messages and the user's call details. Skype DB files may be named main.db, skype.db, or database.db.

Skype is a video call and text chat application available for Windows, macOS, Linux, and mobile devices. The application saves a record of users' chat and call history both locally and online. The local copy is stored in a DB file.

Different versions of Skype use differently-named DB files. They also store DB files in different locations. For example, later Windows 10 versions of Skype use a DB file named skype.db, which is stored in a Skype-specific subdirectory of the %localappdata%/​Packages directory.

Skype DB files are SQLite databases. As such, you can open them and view the data they contain using SQLite Database Browser.

If you want to transfer your Skype chat history to another device, replace the DB file on that device with the DB file that contains the chat history you want to save. (DB files created by different versions of Skype may not be cross-compatible.)