Getting Started with Studio 3T

Already installed Studio 3T on your machine? Read our Getting Started guide, get to know Studio 3T's main features, and complete your MongoDB tasks in no time.


Whether you’re working on your own projects or managing large databases as a professional, Studio 3T helps you work faster, reduce errors, and improve your productivity. It’s a solution that’s all in one place, bringing you clarity and control over your NoSQL data.

Got Studio 3T downloaded and installed on your machine? Then let’s get started.

Watch the video below to learn how to connect to MongoDB, view document data, build queries, and more:

Connect to MongoDB

You can create unlimited connections to MongoDB with Studio 3T, unless you’re using Studio 3T Community Edition, where you can create up to three connections.

Have your connection details ready

Whether your MongoDB deployment is hosted on-premise or through a cloud hosting service, the quickest way to connect to your database is to have a connection string ready.

mongodb://[username:password@]host1[:port1][,host2[:port2],…[,hostN[:portN]]][/[database][?options]]

The standard connection string or URI format

Cloud hosting services like MongoDB Atlas, Compose, mLab, ObjectRocket, and ScaleGrid readily provide this connection string, so all you need to do is make a few modifications, like insert SSH and/or SSL details, and paste it into Studio 3T.

Alternatively, you can also save the connection string as a URI file.

Create a new connection

Follow these steps to enter your connection string or upload your URI file in the Connection Manager.

Take a tour

Now that you’ve connected Studio 3T to MongoDB, you can start exploring your data.

Global toolbar

Studio 3T's global toolbar provides easy access to features

The global toolbar is always available no matter how you’re working with your data, providing you one-click access to Studio 3T’s features.

Connection Tree

On the left-hand side, you’ll always find the Connection Tree, which shows all your open MongoDB connections and their respective databases and collections.

Studio 3T's connection tree displays all your open connections and their respective databases and collections

Avoid database mixups by color-coding your databases and collections.

If you need more space to work with your data, hide the connection tree by clicking the arrow in the lower left of the Studio 3T application.

View and explore data

Double-click on any collection in the Connection Tree to open a Collection Tab.

Studio 3T's collection tab is the starting place for viewing and exploring MongoDB data

The Collection Tab is the starting point for viewing and exploring MongoDB collections. Here you can view, edit, and query your collection data, and access other features.

Studio 3T lets you view your data in three ways.

Table View

View your data in a familiar spreadsheet format and enjoy features unique to Studio 3T like showing embedded fields, stepping into array-valued columns, showing/hiding columns, and more.

Tree View

Show your data in hierarchies that you can expand or collapse as needed.

JSON View

Go old school and view your collection as JSON documents, complemented by a built-in JSON editor that validates your syntax as you go.

Build your query

With Studio 3T, anyone can build a MongoDB query.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t know the MongoDB query language, use SQL, or write JSON documents like a pro – there’s a feature that’s right for you.

Drag-and-drop fields

Even if you have no knowledge of the MongoDB syntax, you can still get some serious querying done with the Visual Query Builder.

Simply drag and drop the fields you want to query into the builder and let Studio 3T do the work.

Drag and drop fields to build MongoDB queries

Query with SQL

If you’re proficient with SQL but new to MongoDB, you can be just as productive with your SQL querying skills.

Through SQL Query, you can write SQL statements to query MongoDB, including joins and learn how your SQL queries translate to the MongoDB Shell language.

Query MongoDB with SQL statements and see the resulting MongoDB syntax

Ask in natural language

If you’re a non-technical user or you want to quickly get started writing a query, AI Helper lets you ask questions about your data in your native language. Using your AI model, it turns your questions into MongoDB queries, including aggregation pipelines.

Ask questions and query your MongoDB data with natural language

Build aggregation pipelines

The Aggregation Editor lets you check the accuracy of inputs and outputs one stage at a time, a better way of building of building aggregation pipelines which even those with expert skill levels in MongoDB will appreciate.

Build aggregation pipelines and check the flow of data one stage at a time

Use the built-in MongoDB Shell

Those familiar with the MongoDB Shell will feel right at home with IntelliShell, letting you write code with smart autocompletion and real-time error highlighting.

Write queries in IntelliShell, Studio 3T's built-in shell, and use smart autocompletion

Generate query code

With a single-click, Query Code lets you translate queries or aggregations into code you can use in your applications, including JavaScript, Java, C#, Python, PHP, and Ruby.

Fix data issues

Troubleshoot database bottlenecks, optimize long running queries, and synchronize your data.

Profile databases

Tune performance and fix slow queries with Query Profiler. Use real-time profiling to get comprehensive diagnostics including execution times, frequency, and query code.

Optimize query performance

Keep applications running smoothly with Index Manager and reduce query execution time. Create, adjust, and test indexes without downtime.

Compare and sync collections

Compare collections across environments and sync differences like missing values or mismatched fields with Data Compare and Sync.

Choose between light or dark theme

Choose between dark theme or the default light theme by going to Preferences > Appearance and behavior > Appearance selecting Dark as the theme.

This article was originally published by Kathryn Vargas and has since been updated.