To be able to work with the content and structure of a database, you need to connect to it. When you create a new connection to a database, DBeaver automatically connects to the new database, see Create Connection.

To connect to a database using an existing connection, in the Database Navigator or Projects view, click the connection and then click the Connect button in the toolbar or click Database -> Connect on the main menu:

You can also right-click the connection and click Connect on the context menu.

If a database connection exists but DBeaver is not connected to the database, the connection appears with its original icon (for example, . When DBeaver connects to the database, the icon changes to signal the connected status: .

If DBeaver cannot connect to a database, the connection appears with an error sign: . If you attempt to connect to such a database, DBeaver displays an error message describing the cause for the error.