🛠 Guide to Using phpMyAdmin in cPanel

This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to confidently use phpMyAdmin within your cPanel hosting account.

📌 Introduction

phpMyAdmin is a free, web-based tool that allows you to manage MySQL and MariaDB databases without needing to use the command line. The phpMyAdmin feature is included with all shared hosting services. For cPanel hosting users, it’s the most convenient way to interact with databases—whether that’s creating new tables, running SQL queries, or backing up data.

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🛠 Guide to Using phpMyAdmin in cPanel

Follow the steps below to access and administer the phpMyAdmin interface in cPanel:

1. 🔑 Step 1: Accessing phpMyAdmin in cPanel

   1. Login to cPanel
      • Visit https://yourdomain.com/cpanel or https://serverIP:2083.
      • Enter your cPanel username and password.
   2. Locate the phpMyAdmin tool
      • In the Databases section, click phpMyAdmin.
        
      • This opens phpMyAdmin in a new tab.

2. 🗂 Understanding the phpMyAdmin Interface

   When phpMyAdmin loads, you’ll see a few key areas:

   • Navigation Panel (left sidebar): Lists all your databases.
   • Main Panel (right side): Displays tables, rows, and operations depending on what you select.
   • Top Menu Tabs: Includes Browse, Structure, SQL, Search, Insert, Export, Import, Operations.

3. 🛠 Managing Databases

   • ✅ Create a New Database

     Note: Database creation is usually done in cPanel > MySQL Databases. But you can also manage them in phpMyAdmin.

     1. In the left panel, click New.
     2. Enter the database name and choose a collation (e.g., utf8_general_ci).
     3. Click Create.

   • 📋 View Database Tables

     • Click your database name from the sidebar.
     • You’ll see a list of tables (e.g., wp_posts, wp_users for WordPress).

   • 🧹 Drop/Delete Database or Table

     1. Select the database or table.
     2. Go to the Operations tab.
     3. Scroll down to Remove Database/Table → confirm deletion.

     ⚠️ Warning: Deleting is permanent—always back up first!

4. ✏️ Working with Tables

   • Add a New Table

     1. Select the target database.
     2. Scroll down and enter Table name and number of columns.
     3. Define each column (name, type, length, indexes).
     4. Click Save.

   • Modify Table Structure

     • Use the Structure tab to:
     • Change data types.
     • Add/remove columns.
     • Define primary keys or indexes.

5. 🔍 Managing Data

   • Insert New Records

     1. Click your table.
     2. Select the Insert tab.
     3. Fill out values for each column.
     4. Click Go.

   • Browse and Edit Records

     • Go to the Browse tab → shows rows like a spreadsheet.
     • Click the pencil icon to edit a row.
     • Use the red X to delete a row.

   • Run SQL Queries

     1. Click the SQL tab.
     2. Enter your query (e.g., SELECT * FROM users;).
     3. Press Go to run it.
     4. Results will display in the main panel.

6. 📦 Importing and Exporting Data

   • Export Database

     1. Select your database.
     2. Click the Export tab.
     3. Choose:
        • Quick → exports everything in .sql format.
        • Custom → choose tables, format, compression.
     4. Click Go → download the .sql file.

   • Import Database

     1. Select your database (create it first if needed).
     2. Go to the Import tab.
     3. Click Choose File and select your .sql dump file.
     4. Click Go to start import.

     👉 Tip: To import a large database in cPanel, perform the import via SSH rather than phpMyAdmin.

7. 🧰 Common Tasks for Hosting Users

   • Reset WordPress Admin Password:
     Go to wp_users table → edit the admin row → set new password using MD5() function.
   • Optimize Tables:
     Select tables → choose With selected: Optimize table to improve performance.
   • Repair Tables:
     If you get database errors, select tables → With selected: Repair table.’

8. 🔒 Security Best Practices

   • Never share phpMyAdmin login links.
   • Always use HTTPS when accessing cPanel/phpMyAdmin.
   • Back up databases before changes.
   • Limit database privileges when creating users in cPanel.

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🎯 Conclusion

phpMyAdmin is a powerful tool for cPanel hosting users to manage databases visually. With it, you can:

• Create, modify, and delete databases/tables.
• Insert, browse, and edit records.
• Run SQL queries.
• Export/import backups.

By following the steps in this guide, you’ll be able to confidently manage your databases without touching the command line.

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