Would you wish to know how to generate a WordPress database backup manually without using a plugin? Knowing the manual method lets you quickly produce a database backup whenever you require it. In this guide, we'll explain to you how you can make a WordPress database backup .


When and Why Create a WordPress Database Backup Manually

You should always install and set up 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 mistake. In such scenarios, most tutorials recommend that you create a complete WordPress backup.

But as you can't access the admin area, it'd be hard for you to use a plugin for copies. This is where knowing how to make a WordPress database backup manually is useful.

A manual database backup is exactly the same as the database backups made by a plugin.

Having said this, let's take a peek at how to easily earn a WordPress database backup manually.

Backing Up WordPress Database Manually Using phpMyAdmin

For this method we will be using PhpMyAdmin. It's an open source software that lets you manage your MySQL database using a web based interface. It comes pre-installed on most WordPress hosting suppliers.

You first need to login to your WordPress hosting control panel. Upon login, click on phpMyAdmin under the database section.

This will launch phpMyAdmin window. Make sure your WordPress database is selected inside phpMyAdmin. When it is not, then click on your WordPress database title to select it. You'll be able to see the listing of WordPress database tables when it's selected.

Once your database is selected, click on Export link from the top menu bar.

You will be requested to choose the export system. You want to choose custom since it will give you more choices to research.

Clicking on habit will show more options. It will show all your tables on your WordPress database as chosen.

Sometimes WordPress plugins add their own tables into your database. If there are some tables that you want to exclude from export, then you can deselect them. If you're unsure, then it's 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 this by selecting'Save output to a file' option. For compression you want to select zipped or gzipped option.

Nowadays you will need to scroll down to the base of the page and click the'Go' button.

That's all, you've made a manually WordPress database backup.

Most good WordPress hosting companies also offer simpler ways to download on demand copies. Here is how you can use this to make a manual WordPress database backup.

Just login to your hosting control panel and then scroll down to the files section where you will observe the Backup button.

You can also download your WordPress files backup from this page if you need to.

Editor's Note: You can earn WordPress database backups , but remember it is not an alternative to a suitable backup solution on your WordPress site.


There are situations when you could not have access to a WordPress database at all. Just like if your hosting firm suspends your account, or loses your information.

Another potential scenario is when some hacker has recovered information in your WordPress database, cleaning an infected database would be a lot more challenging.

Use a correct backup plugin to automatically store your WordPress database backups on the cloud. We advocate using BackupBuddy, it automatically creates and stores your backups on a cloud storage service like Google Drive, DropBox, or Stash.

See our guide on how to keep your WordPress articles secure with BackupBuddy for detailed directions.

That is all, we hope this article helped you understand how to make a WordPress database backup manually. You might also need to see our guide on how to revive your WordPress site with just a database backup.