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The safest way to export a WordPress database is to create a complete SQL dump with phpMyAdmin, WP-CLI, or mysqldump, then store it outside the publicly served website directory alongside a backup of your WordPress files. The SQL contains database-held content and settings—such as posts, pages, comments, and options—but it does not contain themes, plugins, uploads, or wp-config.php. Those files must be backed up separately.
What a WordPress database export contains
A WordPress database export is a copy of the tables stored in MySQL or MariaDB. A full SQL export normally includes the information WordPress reads from those tables, including:
- Posts and pages
- Comments
- Site settings and other options
- Users, terms, and other database records created by WordPress or its plugins
The export is not a complete copy of the site. WordPress files live on the server’s filesystem, not in the database.
- Not included: themes, plugins, media uploads, core files, and
wp-config.php. - Required for a full recovery: the SQL dump plus a matching copy of the WordPress files.
The WordPress.org Advanced Administration Handbook says it is “strongly recommended that you backup your database at regular intervals and before an upgrade.” Make an export before WordPress core, theme, plugin, PHP, or database work, and keep routine copies as part of your backup schedule.
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Choose the right export method
Use the method that matches the access you have and the size of the database. The methods below create different kinds of output, so choose deliberately.
| Method | Access needed | Best fit | Output and repeatability |
|---|---|---|---|
| phpMyAdmin | Web access to phpMyAdmin through the server or hosting control panel | A straightforward full export and occasional manual downloads | SQL file; convenient for a one-time export, with Quick and Custom modes |
| WP-CLI | SSH or another shell with WP-CLI installed, run from the WordPress installation directory | Repeatable exports and sites where command-line access is available | SQL file created by the wp db export command; suitable for scripting |
mysqldump |
Shell access and MySQL or MariaDB credentials | Large databases or cases where a browser-based export cannot complete | SQL file, optionally compressed with gzip; easy to automate |
wp export |
WP-CLI | Moving selected WordPress content rather than backing up the database | WXR content file; it is not a complete SQL database backup |
For a normal full backup, use phpMyAdmin, wp db export, or mysqldump. Use wp export only when you specifically need a WordPress content-transfer file.
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Identify the correct database
A WordPress installation can have several databases on the same server. The database name is commonly recorded as the DB_NAME value in the site’s wp-config.php. Check that value before exporting; selecting another database can produce a valid-looking SQL file that belongs to a different site.
Decide whether you need a full or selective dump
A full export is the normal choice for backup and restoration. WP-CLI and mysqldump also support selective exports when you have a specific migration or diagnostic reason. Selective dumps are easier to make smaller, but omitting a table can leave a site incomplete when you try to restore it.
Prepare a safe destination
Plan where the downloaded file will live before starting. SQL dumps can contain site configuration, user records, comments, and other private data. After downloading or creating the file, move it out of any publicly served web directory. Keep the database dump with the corresponding WordPress file backup so the two parts remain a coherent recovery set.
Method 1: Export with phpMyAdmin
phpMyAdmin is the visual workflow available through many hosting control panels and server installations. It is usually the simplest option when you do not have shell access.
Step 1: Open phpMyAdmin
Log in to phpMyAdmin on the server or through your hosting control panel. If your host presents several database tools, open the one connected to the MySQL or MariaDB server used by WordPress.
Step 2: Select the WordPress database
In the left pane, select the database whose name matches DB_NAME in wp-config.php. Do not select an individual table when you intend to make a complete backup; select the database itself.
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Step 3: Open the Export tab
With the database selected, open Export. phpMyAdmin presents at least two export modes:
- Quick: the straightforward full-database workflow.
- Custom: controls table selection, compression, and other export behavior.
Step 4: Create a Quick export
- Keep Quick selected.
- Click Go.
- When the browser prompts you, save the downloaded SQL file to a private location.
This is the documented handbook workflow for a normal full export. Keep the original filename or rename it with a date that makes the backup easy to identify, such as wordpress-backup-2026-10-15.sql.
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Choose Custom when you must change which tables are exported, select compression, or alter another export option. Record the choices you make. A custom export that excludes tables is not equivalent to a full site backup, and the missing tables may be required during restoration.
When phpMyAdmin is the wrong tool
Browser-based tools can be inconvenient for very large databases. A long-running export may hit hosting time limits, a proxy limit, or a browser interruption. If the export repeatedly fails or never produces a complete download, use WP-CLI or mysqldump over a shell instead.
Method 2: Export with WP-CLI
WP-CLI is the practical choice when you have SSH access and want a command that can be repeated or placed in a backup script. Run it from the WordPress installation directory so WP-CLI can find the site’s configuration.
Step 1: Change to the WordPress directory
Open an SSH session or local shell on the server and change to the directory containing the WordPress installation and wp-config.php.
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Step 2: Run the export command
wp db export backup.sqlWP-CLI reads the database credentials from wp-config.php, invokes mysqldump, and writes the SQL dump to backup.sql. The filename can include a path if you want the output written to a specific private backup directory.
Step 3: Know the alias
The following command is an alias for the same export operation:
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wp db dump backup.sqlUse whichever spelling fits your existing scripts, but do not confuse either command with wp export; the latter creates a WXR content file rather than a complete SQL dump.
Step 4: Restrict or exclude tables only when necessary
WP-CLI accepts valid mysqldump flags. To export only selected tables, use:
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wp db export backup.sql --tables=table1,table2To omit selected tables, use:
wp db export backup.sql --exclude_tables=table1,table2Replace the example names with actual table names. A restricted dump is appropriate for a targeted migration or investigation, not as the sole backup of a working site unless you have confirmed that every required table is elsewhere in your recovery plan.
Step 5: Verify the file and move it off the web root
Inspect the resulting file, record its location, and make sure it has a nonzero size before moving it to your private backup storage. Do not leave backup.sql in a directory that the web server can deliver directly to visitors. Keep the SQL file with the matching WordPress files backup.
Method 3: Export with mysqldump
Use the MySQL or MariaDB command line when you have shell access but do not want to use WP-CLI, or when a browser export is unreliable for a large database.
Step 1: Run the standard command
mysqldump --add-drop-table -h DB_HOST -u DB_USER -p DB_NAME > wordpress-backup.sqlSubstitute the host, database user, and database name used by the site. The -p option causes the client to prompt for the password instead of placing it in the command line. The --add-drop-table option places drop-table statements in the dump, which is useful when the SQL is later imported into an existing database.
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Step 2: Enter the password at the prompt
When prompted, enter the database user’s password. If authentication fails, recheck the values in wp-config.php, including the host name, user, password, and database name. A successful shell connection is required before the dump can be written.
Step 3: Compress a large dump when appropriate
The handbook also documents streaming the dump through gzip:
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mysqldump --add-drop-table -h DB_HOST -u DB_USER -p DB_NAME | gzip > wordpress-backup.sql.gzThis creates a compressed SQL archive instead of an uncompressed .sql file. Keep the compressed file in private storage and make sure the person or process responsible for restoration knows it must be decompressed before, or as part of, the import process.
Step 4: Check the output
Confirm that the command completed without an error, that the output file exists, and that its location is recorded. Treat an interrupted command or an empty file as a failed backup rather than assuming the export is usable.
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WordPress has another command named wp export. It creates a WXR file containing authors, terms, posts, comments, and attachment references. WXR is designed for transferring WordPress content; it does not include the site configuration or the attachment files themselves.
| Characteristic | SQL database export | WXR from wp export |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Database backup and restoration | WordPress content transfer |
| Includes database settings | Yes, as database-held records | No site configuration |
| Includes attachment files | No; files require a separate backup | No; it contains attachment references |
| Typical use | Recovering or cloning the database | Moving authors, terms, posts, and comments between WordPress sites |
If your goal is to recover the site after a failure or upgrade, choose an SQL export and back up the WordPress files as well. A WXR file alone cannot restore themes, plugins, uploads, or wp-config.php.
How to verify and store the export
Check that an export was actually created
- Confirm that the download or command completed without an error message.
- Verify that the expected
.sqlor.sql.gzfile exists. - Record the full path or storage location.
- Keep the file out of the public web directory.
A file’s existence does not prove that it contains the intended site. Confirm the database selection before exporting and use a filename that identifies the site and date.
Store a coherent backup set
Store the database export together with the WordPress file backup made for the same recovery point. The SQL restores database-held content and settings; the file backup restores themes, plugins, uploads, core files, and wp-config.php. Keeping only one side leaves the recovery incomplete.
Protect the data
Database dumps can contain private site information. Limit access to the backup location, avoid sharing the file through a public URL, and remove temporary copies from publicly served directories as soon as the transfer is complete.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Restoration context: what the SQL file can and cannot do
Restoring an SQL export means importing it into a MySQL or MariaDB database. The SQL file can recreate the database records captured at export time, but it cannot recreate files that were never in the database.
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- Import the SQL into the intended MySQL or MariaDB database.
- Use the matching WordPress files backup for themes, plugins, uploads, core files, and
wp-config.php. - Do not treat a database-only restore as a complete site restore.
Before an upgrade or other high-risk change, create both parts of the backup set. Afterward, retain the export long enough to recover if the change causes a problem.
WordPress.com considerations
On WordPress.com, direct database access is described as an advanced task. WordPress.com documents phpMyAdmin and WP-CLI access, and says a database copy may be downloadable from the site’s available backups. The exact option depends on the site and its available access, so check the backup area and platform documentation rather than assuming that a self-hosted control-panel workflow is available.
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The database name is unclear
Open the site’s wp-config.php and look for DB_NAME. Use that exact value in phpMyAdmin or the command-line export. If several WordPress installations share a server, also verify that the selected tables belong to the intended site.
phpMyAdmin does not finish
For a large database or a browser timeout, switch to WP-CLI or mysqldump over SSH. The command-line methods avoid the browser download workflow and can write the dump directly to server storage, with optional gzip compression.
WP-CLI reports a credentials or connection error
Run the command from the directory containing the correct wp-config.php. Check the database host, name, user, and password in that file, and confirm that the shell account can run WP-CLI and access the database client.
The SQL file is missing or empty
Check the command’s final output, current directory, and destination path. An interrupted export, a failed authentication attempt, or a write-permission problem can leave no usable dump. Re-run the export to a location where the account can write, then verify the resulting file before deleting the failed copy.
You exported WXR by mistake
A WXR file is a content-transfer file, not a database dump. If you need a full backup, run wp db export, use phpMyAdmin’s database-level Export tab, or run mysqldump, and back up the WordPress files separately.
A repeatable backup routine
- Identify the site’s
DB_NAMEand confirm which WordPress installation you are backing up. - Choose phpMyAdmin for a simple manual export, or WP-CLI/
mysqldumpfor repeatable and large-database work. - Create a full SQL dump unless you have a documented reason to include or exclude specific tables.
- Check that the file exists, completed without errors, and has a recorded location.
- Move the dump out of the public web directory and restrict access to it.
- Store it with the matching WordPress files backup.
- Keep regular copies and make an additional export before upgrades or other major changes.
This process gives you a database backup that can be imported into MySQL or MariaDB while preserving the distinction between database records and the WordPress files required for a complete site recovery.
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