Top 3 IndexedDB Inspector Tools Compared

An offline-capable web app is showing stale data, or a bug only reproduces on one machine. Both point at the same place: whatever the app has cached in IndexedDB on that device.

Unlike localStorage, which is a flat list of strings you can read at a glance, IndexedDB is a real database — multiple stores, indexes, key ranges, structured values. Reading it requires a tool that understands that structure, and the good news is that two of the three best options are already installed in your browser.

How to judge an IndexedDB inspector

Can you see the structure? Databases, object stores, indexes and key paths — not just a dump of values.

Can you edit or delete? Deleting a record to reproduce a bug is routine. Editing one is rarer and more useful than it sounds.

Does it search? Finding one record among thousands by scrolling is not a workflow.

Is the view live? Both major browsers show a snapshot rather than a live feed, which catches people out constantly.

The comparison

Facts checked August 2026; tools change. Table covers only the 3 alternatives — our tool gets its own section below.

Firefox Storage Inspector

The most informative about structure. It lists databases with their name, storage type, origin, version and object store count, then object stores with name, keyPath, auto-increment status and associated indexes, then the individual items. If your question is “how is this database actually shaped”, it answers it directly.

It supports deleting a database, all items in an object store, or a single item, via context menus — with a warning shown when a database cannot be deleted because connections are still open, which is a genuinely helpful failure message. Built into Firefox, free. Its data is a snapshot from when you opened the tool, not a live view.

Chrome & Edge DevTools

The one most people already have open. Under Application → Storage → IndexedDB you get databases, object stores, key-value pairs, and expandable values, along with origin and version information. Deletion is comprehensive: a single key-value pair, all pairs in a store, an entire database, or all IndexedDB storage via Clear site data.

Two things to know. Values are not editable from the panel — the documented approach is running JavaScript in the Console or saving a Snippet to do it, which is more capable but less convenient than it sounds. And like Firefox, the view does not update in real time; there is an explicit Refresh button because outdated data in the panel is a common confusion.

IndexedDB Explorer

The extension that fills the gaps. It offers deep search across databases and stores, paging through large datasets at up to 5,000 records per page, real-time record search, adding and deleting records, store size and record count calculations, and interactive graphs of database structure.

Search and paging are the reasons to install it — the built-in panels get unwieldy at scale, and this is built for exactly that. It is free. It is also a small extension with a few hundred users, and by nature it has access to the data pages store, so weigh that as you would any extension touching application data.

IndexedDB Inspector

Ours browses IndexedDB databases, object stores, indexes and key ranges to show what a web app has stored on this device. Key ranges being first-class is the difference worth noting — they are how IndexedDB queries actually work, and neither built-in panel makes them easy to explore.

What it does not do: delete or edit records, or persist across a page reload the way an extension can. For clearing state to reproduce a bug, DevTools is the right tool and it is already open. For understanding what an app has stored and how it is keyed, ours goes at that directly. MDN’s IndexedDB API documentation is the reference for what any of these structures mean.

Which one to pick

• Clearing storage to reproduce a bug — Chrome or Edge DevTools.
• Understanding keyPaths, indexes and versions — Firefox’s Storage Inspector.
• Thousands of records needing search — IndexedDB Explorer.
• Exploring stores and key ranges — the tool below.

How to do it with IndexedDB Inspector

1. Open the IndexedDB Inspector on the device showing the problem.
2. Look at the object stores and their key paths before the records — the shape explains most bugs.
3. Check index definitions if lookups are behaving unexpectedly.
4. Remember what you are looking at is a snapshot; if the app writes while you read, refresh.

The walkthrough is in how to inspect what a web app stored locally. Other developer tools are in the tools directory.

You might also need

If the app also uses simpler storage, the LocalStorage Inspector covers the flat key-value side.

The Browser Risk Inspector shows what else your browser is exposing beyond stored data.

Frequently asked questions

How do I view IndexedDB data?

The fastest route is your browser’s devtools — Application → Storage → IndexedDB in Chrome or Edge, or the Storage Inspector in Firefox. Both are built in and free, and neither requires an extension.

Why does the data look out of date?

Because both browsers show a snapshot rather than a live view. Chrome and Edge provide an explicit Refresh button for exactly this reason, and Firefox’s documentation notes the same behaviour. Refresh before concluding a write did not happen.

Can I edit IndexedDB records?

Not directly in Chrome or Edge DevTools — the documented approach is running JavaScript in the Console or a Snippet. Firefox’s inspector supports deletion, and the IndexedDB Explorer extension supports adding and deleting records through its interface.

Final thought

Refresh before you trust what you see. A surprising share of “the data is wrong” investigations end with the data having been right all along and the panel showing a snapshot from two minutes earlier.

Try the free IndexedDB Inspector