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Manage a Database with phpMyAdmin

Browse, edit, export, and import MariaDB tables in phpMyAdmin on your shared hosting, opened from the portal.

Updated

phpMyAdmin is the browser tool on our shared hosting for the MariaDB databases on this account. Use it to inspect tables, change a row, run SQL, and export or import a .sql file. You do not need a hostname, and you do not need remote MySQL access.

cPanel still labels the tools MySQL. The engine is MariaDB. phpMyAdmin signs you in through cPanel. There is no separate phpMyAdmin password.

Need the database first? Create a MySQL database and user. If you are installing WordPress, use WordPress Toolkit or Installatron instead. Those create the database for you. See Install WordPress.

Open cPanel

  1. Sign in at the portal.
  2. Open the hosting service for the site.
  3. Click Log in to cPanel.

You do not need a server hostname to get in.

Open phpMyAdmin

  1. In the Databases section, open phpMyAdmin.
  2. Or open MySQL Databases, find the database, and click the phpMyAdmin link next to it.

phpMyAdmin opens in a new tab. The left sidebar lists the databases on this hosting account. Names are prefixed with your cPanel username. Use the full name you see in the list.

Browse tables and data

  1. Click a database name in the left sidebar to expand it.
  2. Click a table to open the Browse view (the rows).
  3. Use the page controls at the bottom if the table has many rows.

Open the Structure tab to see column names, types, and indexes. Change a column only when you know the application expects that change. A wrong type can stop the application from reading the table.

Edit or add a row

  1. Open the table (Browse).
  2. Click the pencil icon on a row to change its values.
  3. Click Go (some themes say Save) to write the change.

To add a row, open the table and click Insert. Fill the fields you need, then click Go.

Leave auto-increment id fields empty unless you know you must set them.

Run SQL

  1. Select the database (or the table) in the sidebar.
  2. Open the SQL tab.
  3. Type or paste the statement.
  4. Click Go.

Start with SELECT when you are checking data. UPDATE and DELETE without a precise WHERE can change or remove every row. Export a copy first if you are about to change structure or run a write.

To look at a slice of a large table, use a filter, for example SELECT * FROM table_name WHERE id > 1000 LIMIT 100.

Export a copy

  1. Select the database in the sidebar (click the name, not only the expand arrow). To copy one table, select that table instead.
  2. Open Export.
  3. Leave Quick and SQL unless you know you need another format.
  4. Click Go and save the .sql file on your computer.

That file is a copy you control. Hourly backups of this account still run in the background. To put a database back from those hourly copies, open a support ticket. You can also use Download and Restore a Backup.

Import a copy

Import adds or replaces data depending on the statements in the file. Export the current database first if you might need it.

  1. Select the destination database in the sidebar. Check the full prefixed name.
  2. Open Import.
  3. Choose the .sql file from your computer.
  4. Click Go.

If the file is too large for the Import tab, open a support ticket. We can import it for you, or restore from our hourly copies if that is a better fit.

Tips

  • Create and delete databases: use MySQL Databases, not phpMyAdmin. See Create a MySQL Database and User.
  • Database user password: change it on MySQL Databases, then update every application that uses that user.
  • Drop and empty: Drop removes the table. Empty (truncate) removes every row. There is no undo in phpMyAdmin.
  • Large writes: if you can wait, avoid bulk deletes, huge imports, and OPTIMIZE TABLE while the site is busy. They can make the site feel slow until they finish.
  • Disk: exports you leave in the home directory count toward the plan. Download them, then delete the copy on the server. See Check Disk Usage.
  • WordPress: if the site cannot connect after a change, see Fix "Error Establishing a Database Connection" in WordPress.

If you are unsure about a statement, or a change did not do what you expected, open a support ticket. Tell us the full database name (not the password) and what you were trying to do. We will look at the account with you.

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