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Click Explain in the query editor toolbar, or use Query > Explain Query (default shortcut Cmd+Option+E), to get the execution plan for the current query. Databases with multiple EXPLAIN variants show a dropdown: PostgreSQL offers EXPLAIN (estimated plan) and EXPLAIN ANALYZE (runs the query and shows actual timing); MySQL and MariaDB offer EXPLAIN and EXPLAIN (JSON). Databases with a single variant, like SQLite or DuckDB, show a plain Explain button. Typing an EXPLAIN, EXPLAIN ANALYZE, EXPLAIN FORMAT=JSON, or MariaDB’s ANALYZE FORMAT=JSON statement in the editor and running it opens the same plan viewer. MySQL’s TREE and ANALYZE text output is parsed into the diagram and tree views. Multi-column plans like MySQL’s plain EXPLAIN table stay in the results grid, but a multi-column plan the driver itself declares, such as SQLite’s EXPLAIN QUERY PLAN, still opens the viewer. The plan arrives as a result tab next to your query results, so you can switch back to the data without running the query again, and you can pin a plan to keep it while you try another query.
MySQL EXPLAIN ANALYZE rendered as a plan diagram

MySQL EXPLAIN ANALYZE diagram

EXPLAIN diagram view

EXPLAIN diagram view

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View Modes

Toggle between three views using the segmented control above the results: Diagram shows the plan as boxes connected by arrows, top to bottom. Each node carries a cost badge whose shape and color escalate together, from a green circle for a cheap step to a red warning triangle for the most expensive one, so the plan reads without relying on color alone. Zoom with a trackpad pinch, a two-finger double tap, or Cmd and scroll. The controls in the bottom-right corner zoom in and out, reset to 100%, and fit the whole plan to the window. Click a node for its full details, right-click to copy a step, and use Copy or the export button to save the diagram as a PNG.
EXPLAIN tree view

EXPLAIN tree view

Tree shows the plan as an expandable outline with Operation, Cost, Rows and Actual Time columns. Drag a column edge to resize it and TablePro remembers the width. Click a column header to sort, which reorders the steps under each parent without flattening the plan. Arrow keys move between steps, and right-click copies a step. The detail panel below the outline can be resized by dragging the divider. Raw shows the original EXPLAIN output as text, with a copy button and a font size stepper in the toolbar. When the plan includes timing, planning and execution times are shown next to the view switcher.

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Database Support

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Plan Details

Each node in the plan shows:
  • Operation: Seq Scan, Index Scan, Hash Join, Nested Loop, Sort, etc.
  • Table: which table the operation accesses
  • Cost: startup and total cost estimates (PostgreSQL format: 0.00..45.18)
  • Rows: estimated number of rows
  • Actual time: real execution time per node (EXPLAIN ANALYZE only)
Click a node to see all properties including join type, index name, filter conditions, and sort keys.
EXPLAIN ANALYZE runs the query. When Safe Mode asks for confirmation before running a query, it now asks before an EXPLAIN too, whichever way you started it. Use the Stop button to cancel one that is taking too long.
EXPLAIN does not execute the query. EXPLAIN ANALYZE executes it and shows actual timing; use it cautiously on production systems.