Do you want to know how to make a WordPress database backup manually without using a WordPress plugin?
Knowing the manual method allows you to quickly create a database backup whenever you need it.
In this article, we will show you how to make a WordPress database backup manually.
When and Why Make a WordPress Database Backup Manually
You should always install and setup a WordPress backup system for your site. This allows you to restore your site should something go wrong.
Many users lose access to their WordPress admin area after a hack attempt or some plugin error. In these cases, most tutorials recommend that you create a complete WordPress backup.
However, since you cannot access the admin area, it would be hard for you to use a plugin for backups. This is where knowing how to make a WordPress database backup manually comes in handy.
A manual database backup is exactly the same as the database backups created by a plugin.
Having said that, let’s take a look at how to easily make a WordPress database backup manually.
Backing Up WordPress Database Manually Using phpMyAdmin
For this method, we will be using phpMyAdmin. It is an open source software that allows you to manage your MySQL database using a web based interface.
phpMyAdmin comes pre-installed on most WordPress hosting providers including Bluehost, the most popular web hosting service recommended by WordPress.org.
First, you need to login to your WordPress hosting control panel. Upon login, click on phpMyAdmin under the ‘Advanced’ section.
This will launch phpMyAdmin window. Make sure your WordPress database is selected inside phpMyAdmin. If it isn’t, then click on your WordPress database name to select it. You will be able to see the list of WordPress database tables when it is selected.
Once your database is selected, click on the ‘Export’ tab from the top menu bar.
You will be asked to select the export method. You need to select ‘Custom’ as it will give you more options to explore.
Once you choose the Custom option, it will show all your tables in your WordPress database as selected.
Sometimes WordPress plugins add their own tables to your database. If there are any tables that you would like to exclude from export, then you can deselect them. If you are unsure, then it is better to keep them all selected.
Scroll down to the ‘Output’ section. By default, phpMyAdmin will show you the output of the export process as text. You need to change that by selecting ‘Save output to a file’ option. For compression you need to select zipped or gzipped option.
Now you need to scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the ‘Go’ button.
phpMyAdmin will now send you the database export as zip or gzip file.
That’s all, you have successfully made a manually WordPress database backup.
Creating a Manual WordPress Database Backup from cPanel
Most good WordPress hosting companies also offer easier ways to download on demand backups. Here is how you can use that to make a manual WordPress database backup.
Simply login to your hosting control panel and scroll down to the ‘Files’ section where you will see the ‘Backup’ button. Hosting providers like Bluehost, SiteGround, and HostGator all have similar options.
On the backups page, scroll down to partial backups section and click on your database name to download your database backup file.
You can also download your WordPress files backup from this page if you need to.
Editor’s Note: You can make WordPress database backups manually, but keep in mind that it is not an alternative to a proper backup solution for your WordPress site.
There are situations when you may not have access to your WordPress database at all. Like if your hosting company suspends your account, or loses your data.
Another possible scenario is when some hacker has injected data in your WordPress database, cleaning an infected database would be a lot more difficult.
Use a proper backup plugin to automatically store your WordPress database backups on the cloud. We recommend using Duplicator, it automatically creates and stores your backups on a cloud storage service like Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, and more.
See this guide on how to automatically back up WordPress for detailed instructions.
That’s all, we hope this article helped you learn how to make a WordPress database backup manually. You may also want to see our guide on how to restore your WordPress site with just a database backup or our expert picks of the best WordPress database plugins.
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Syed Balkhi says
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A Owadud Bhuiyan says
Manually backing up the database is incredibly useful, especially when testing plugins locally.
WPBeginner Support says
It can certainly be helpful
Admin
Richard says
What is the difference between a database backup and a site backup performed by a plugin such as Duplicator Pro?
WPBeginner Support says
It varies from plugin to plugin but normally a site backup includes the theme and plugin files while a database backup is for your content.
Admin
Rafal says
I dont see any Backup Buttons on my Bluehost account: there are only tabs: Home, My sites, Marketplace, e-mail, domains, advanced
WPBeginner Support says
Hi Rafal,
Click on the Advanced Tab to access the full cPanel interface.
Admin
Rose says
If I have a premium or business wordpress site, then wordpress is my host, correct? What can I do from wordpress.com besides an export?
WPBeginner Support says
Hi Rose,
Please see our guide on the difference between self hosted WordPress.org vs free WordPress.com blog.
Admin
tim says
Hi. I have all folders from a wordpress site but i dont have any database backup. Is it possible to restore drom folders without sql backup?
WPBeginner Support says
Hi Tim,
No you cannot. You can try finding the lost content by using Google Cache or Way Back Machine.
Admin
David John says
I have Finished the given all the steps, but i can’t backup my site, it shown be a Sever Error…And How to Rectify this error….
Rebecca says
Can you use the built in “export” feature as a manual backup?
WPBeginner Support says
Not a good idea. The export file will be able to import your comments and posts into WordPress. However, it will not be able to import images if they have been removed or lost from original server. It will also be unable to restore any other data stored in WordPress database.
Admin
afdhal ilahii says
my i share this at my blog?
Syed Azad Shah says
Dear Syed,
Many thanks for your wonderful posts. They are really doing miracles for me. Just one question – I have four or five sites running on one hosting account. One from main directory and rest from sub-directories. How do I go about backing them up all. My website is
Should I back them up as one file or different files
Thank you very much
Azad
WPBeginner Support says
Depends on your setup. If all of them are using the same database, then you can select tables for each site and then export them. Repeat for the next site.
If they are using different databases then you need to export in different files.
Admin
Teguh says
And how to restore it?
WPBeginner Support says
See our guide, how to restore WordPress from backup.
Admin
Ahmed LAHMAR says
Hi WPBeginner,
I use WP-DBManager and i would recommend it to anyone who wants some peace of mind it’s a wonderful plugin that you can backup your database, compress it into .gz file (my 70 mb SQL file became 5 mb after compression) and email it to you as schedueled. You can choose daily and weekly backup or you can do the backup manually.
The plus other featues like optimisation which you can scheduel as well
Ahmed LAHMAR says
Sorry for typing mistakes m’y keyboard went mad