Written by Admin on 2025-05-06

How to Download WordPress Database Without cPanel

WordPress, being one of the most popular blogging platforms, stores its data in a database. Occasionally you may need to download your WordPress database for backup or migration purposes. The problem is that not everyone has access to cPanel, which is the most common way of accessing and managing databases. In this article, we'll show you how to download your WordPress database without cPanel.

1. Install a WordPress plugin

The easiest way to download your WordPress database is by using a plugin. One such plugin is WP-DB-Backup. It allows you to backup your database, optimize it, and restore it whenever you like. Here's how you can use it to download your WordPress database:

1. Login to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Go to "Plugins" and click on "Add New".
3. Search for "WP-DB-Backup" and install it.
4. Once installed, go to "Tools" and click on "Backup".
5. On the next page, you can choose to backup only specific tables or the entire database.
6. Check the "Download to your computer" checkbox and then click "Backup".

Your WordPress database will be downloaded to your computer in a .sql file.

2. Use phpMyAdmin

If you don't want to install a plugin, you can download your WordPress database using phpMyAdmin, which is a web-based database management tool. Here's how you can do it:

1. Login to your web hosting control panel.
2. Look for phpMyAdmin and click on it.
3. Select your WordPress database from the list on the left-hand side.
4. Click on "Export" in the top navigation menu.
5. On the next page, choose "Custom" under the "Export Method" section.
6. Select the tables you want to backup or select them all,
7. Check the "Save output to a file" checkbox and then click the "Go" button.

Your WordPress database will be downloaded to your computer in a .sql file.

3. Use SSH

If you have SSH access, you can use it to download your WordPress database. Here's how you can do it:

1. Login to your server via SSH.
2. Navigate to the directory where your WordPress installation is located. Typically, it is in the public_html folder.
3. Type the following command: mysqldump -u username -p databasename > backup.sql. Replace "username" with your MySQL username and "databasename" with your WordPress database name.
4. Hit "Enter" and type in your MySQL password when prompted.

Your WordPress database will be downloaded to your website's root directory.

In conclusion, you don't need cPanel to download your WordPress database. You can use a plugin, phpMyAdmin or SSH to get the job done. Make sure you download your database regularly to have a backup in case of any issues.