phpMyAdmin

Sometimes the WordPress dashboard is not enough. Maybe you are locked out, or a broken setting stops the site from loading. That is when phpMyAdmin comes handy.

phpMyAdmin is a free, open-source tool that lets you manage MySQL and MariaDB databases from your web browser. It is written in PHP, which is where the name comes from. In this guide, we will see what it can do and how to open it safely.

What can you do with phpMyAdmin?

Think of it as a file manager, but for your database instead of your files. You can view, edit, export and import data without typing a single command. Here are some common jobs WordPress users handle with it:

• Export the database as a .sql file for a backup.
• Import a database when moving a site to a new host.
• Reset a forgotten admin password in the wp_users table.
• Change the site address in the wp_options table.
• Run SQL queries to clean up old data.

For example, our guide on resetting your WordPress password from phpMyAdmin shows how quick that fix can be.

How to open phpMyAdmin

Most hosts that use cPanel or a similar control panel include it free of cost, and some add a direct link in their own dashboard. The steps look like this:

1. First, log in to your hosting control panel.
2. Next, find the Databases section and click phpMyAdmin.
3. Now, pick your WordPress database from the list on the left. If you see several, check the DB_NAME value in wp-config.php.
4. Finally, click a table name to browse its rows. Your tables may use a prefix other than wp_.

You can also use it to set up a brand new database. See how to create a database using phpMyAdmin.

That's it. phpMyAdmin gives you direct access to the heart of your site, so use it with care. If you get stuck, ask us in the comment box below.