{"id":1434,"date":"2026-05-22T16:40:32","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T16:40:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jolt.co.uk\/help\/using-phpmyadmin-to-export-import-database\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T16:40:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T16:40:32","slug":"using-phpmyadmin-to-export-import-database","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jolt.co.uk\/help\/using-phpmyadmin-to-export-import-database\/","title":{"rendered":"Using PhpMyAdmin To Export\/Import Database"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Managing MySQL databases is a common task when maintaining websites or applications. phpMyAdmin provides an easy\u2011to\u2011use web interface for exporting, importing, and running SQL queries without needing command\u2011line access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This guide walks you through:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Exporting a database<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Importing a database<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Running SQL queries in phpMyAdmin<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Accessing phpMyAdmin<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You can usually access phpMyAdmin through your hosting control panel (e.g., cPanel, Plesk, or Jolt Control Panel hosting dashboard).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1. How to Export a Database in phpMyAdmin<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Exporting a database creates a <code>.sql<\/code> file that you can download and store as a backup or migrate to another server.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Steps:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Log in to phpMyAdmin.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In the left sidebar, select the database you want to export.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click the <strong>Export<\/strong> tab at the top.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Choose the export method:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Quick<\/strong> \u2013 recommended for most users.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Custom<\/strong> \u2013 allows advanced options such as selecting specific tables or compression.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Choose the format (usually <strong>SQL<\/strong>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click <strong>Go<\/strong> to download the file.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"398\" src=\"https:\/\/kb.jolt.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/image-3-1024x398.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1437\" style=\"width:674px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kb.jolt.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/image-3-1024x398.png 1024w, https:\/\/kb.jolt.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/image-3-300x117.png 300w, https:\/\/kb.jolt.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/image-3-768x298.png 768w, https:\/\/kb.jolt.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/image-3-1536x597.png 1536w, https:\/\/kb.jolt.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/image-3-770x299.png 770w, https:\/\/kb.jolt.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/image-3.png 1879w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. How to Import a Database in phpMyAdmin<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Importing allows you to upload a <code>.sql<\/code> file into an existing or new database.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Before you begin<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ensure the database already exists (create one if needed).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If the file is large, zip the sql file before uploading.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Step<\/strong>s:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Log in to phpMyAdmin.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Select the target database from the left sidebar.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click the <strong>Import<\/strong> tab.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Under <strong>File to import<\/strong>, click <strong>Choose File<\/strong> and select your <code>.sql<\/code> file.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Leave most settings at their defaults unless you have specific requirements.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click <strong>Go<\/strong> to begin the import.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>If successful, you\u2019ll see a confirmation message. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>NB: Database with contents may be overwitten by the contents of the import<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"501\" src=\"https:\/\/kb.jolt.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/image-4-1024x501.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1436\" style=\"width:589px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kb.jolt.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/image-4-1024x501.png 1024w, https:\/\/kb.jolt.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/image-4-300x147.png 300w, https:\/\/kb.jolt.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/image-4-768x376.png 768w, https:\/\/kb.jolt.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/image-4-1536x752.png 1536w, https:\/\/kb.jolt.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/image-4-770x377.png 770w, https:\/\/kb.jolt.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/image-4.png 1868w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3. Running SQL Queries in phpMyAdmin<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>phpMyAdmin includes a built\u2011in SQL editor where you can run custom SQL commands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Step-by-step<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Select the database you want to work with.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click the <strong>SQL<\/strong> tab at the top.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In the SQL editor box, type or paste your SQL query.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click <strong>Go<\/strong> to execute it.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Examples of common SQL queries<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Create a table:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>sql<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code><code>CREATE TABLE example (\n    id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,\n    name VARCHAR(255),\n    created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP\n);<\/code>\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Update data:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>sql<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code><code>UPDATE users SET status = 'active' WHERE id = 1;<\/code>\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Delete data:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>sql<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code><code>DELETE FROM logs WHERE created_at &lt; NOW() - INTERVAL 30 DAY;<\/code>\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"501\" src=\"https:\/\/kb.jolt.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/image-5-1024x501.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1435\" style=\"width:595px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kb.jolt.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/image-5-1024x501.png 1024w, https:\/\/kb.jolt.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/image-5-300x147.png 300w, https:\/\/kb.jolt.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/image-5-768x375.png 768w, https:\/\/kb.jolt.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/image-5-1536x751.png 1536w, https:\/\/kb.jolt.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/image-5-770x376.png 770w, https:\/\/kb.jolt.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/image-5.png 1876w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Troubleshooting Tips<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Import errors<\/strong> such as \u201cmax upload size exceeded\u201d may require increasing PHP limits (<code>upload_max_filesize<\/code>, <code>post_max_size<\/code>) or using SSH\/CLI instead.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Character encoding issues<\/strong> can be avoided by ensuring both export and import use the same collation (e.g., <code>utf8mb4_general_ci<\/code>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Timeouts<\/strong> during import may require splitting large SQL files or importing via SSH mysql command.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Managing MySQL databases is a common task when maintaining websites or applications. phpMyAdmin provides an easy\u2011to\u2011use web interface for exporting, importing, and running SQL queries without needing command\u2011line access. This guide walks you through: Exporting a database Importing a database Running SQL queries in phpMyAdmin Accessing phpMyAdmin You can usually&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,19,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-our-control-panel","category-backups","category-wordpress"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jolt.co.uk\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1434","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jolt.co.uk\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jolt.co.uk\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jolt.co.uk\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jolt.co.uk\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1434"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.jolt.co.uk\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1434\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1438,"href":"https:\/\/www.jolt.co.uk\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1434\/revisions\/1438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jolt.co.uk\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1434"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jolt.co.uk\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1434"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jolt.co.uk\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1434"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}