MongoDB Compass

MongoDB Compass is MongoDB's free desktop graphical client for exploring and managing MongoDB deployments. It helps developers, database administrators and analysts inspect documents, build queries and aggregation pipelines, understand collection schemas and investigate query performance.

Explore and manage MongoDB

Browse databases and collections, filter and sort documents, and switch between document views. The aggregation builder lets you assemble pipeline stages and preview their results. Schema analysis samples documents to show field types, distributions and potential inconsistencies; sampled results should not be treated as an exhaustive validation of every document.

Compass provides visual explain plans, index management, validation-rule editing, data modeling and import/export tools. Its embedded MongoDB shell is available for supported configurations. Creating indexes, editing documents, importing data, changing validation or dropping collections can alter real database data, subject to the connected user's privileges.

Install and connect

Install the Mac client with brew install --cask mongodb-compass, or download the matching official DMG, open it and drag MongoDB Compass into Applications. Choose the arm64 build for Apple Silicon or x64 for Intel. Start Compass, review privacy and update preferences, then create a connection using your MongoDB connection string or the connection form.

Compass is a client: it does not install, start or include a MongoDB database service. You need a separately running local or remote MongoDB deployment or an Atlas cluster, a reachable endpoint and credentials where authentication is required. Configure the authentication mechanism, TLS certificates and other connection settings required by your deployment. Atlas network access rules and database users are separate from your Atlas website login. Avoid sharing connection strings containing passwords.

Read-only mode and access control

This package installs standard Compass, not a separately restricted Readonly edition. In standard Compass, readOnly is disabled by default. Enable Set Read-Only Mode in Settings, start the executable with --readOnly, or use the configuration file setting to hide write-related interface elements. Read-only mode cannot be enabled together with the embedded shell or developer tools options.

MongoDB explicitly warns that this client setting does not fully enforce read-only access: the connection retains its database privileges. For enforced read-only access, assign the database user the appropriate built-in read role at the database level. The publisher plans to deprecate the separate Compass Readonly edition and recommends using database read privileges together with the standard client's readOnly setting.

Requirements and platforms

Current official installation documentation requires 64-bit macOS 14 or later and MongoDB 7.0 or later, with separate Intel and Apple Silicon binaries. The recorded Cask still declares macOS 13; use the stricter current official support requirement when planning a supported installation. Windows and Linux packages are distributed separately; the macOS Cask does not install them. Windows-specific .NET requirements do not mean the Mac client needs .NET.

The 1.52.0 Apple Silicon DMG is 184,405,611 bytes according to its official HTTP Content-Length. Installed space, caches, imports and database storage are additional. The Cask declares no extra formula dependency. Server compatibility, authentication features and operations depend on the MongoDB deployment and its configuration.

Accounts, AI and privacy

Basic connections to a self-managed deployment use that deployment's authentication; an Atlas account is not required simply to open Compass and connect to your own server. Atlas-related management and login features require the corresponding account. Hosting, enterprise services and support can have separate costs even though the Compass download is free.

Optional AI features generate queries and aggregations or assist with database tasks. Current release notes say an Atlas login is no longer required for generative AI. Review the feature's consent and data-use information before enabling it: the natural-language query documentation says prompts and schema details are sent to Microsoft and OpenAI for processing. Review suggested operations and their scope before approving execution. Compass also has configurable error reporting and usage collection; the isolated edition has a different networking and feature scope and is not the application installed by this Cask.

License and illustration

The tagged project license is Server Side Public License version 1 (SSPL), with separately licensed dependencies. Source availability under SSPL does not make it an Apache- or MIT-licensed application; redistribution and service offerings must comply with the applicable terms. MongoDB server and Atlas licensing or pricing are separate from the client download.

The image is an official repository Mac development-build example showing schema analysis and the embedded shell. It is historical illustrative material, not a newly captured 1.52.0 release screen.

Sources: Product overview, Installation and system requirements, Connections, Read-only restrictions, Edition capabilities, Natural-language query data use, Official release notes, Tagged license.