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To import a SQL database into an existing WordPress site, load the dump into the MySQL database named in the target site’s wp-config.php. WordPress itself does not import arbitrary SQL from the editor. Use phpMyAdmin for a one-off browser upload or WP-CLI for a repeatable, scriptable import, then update URLs if the domain or installation path changed.
Before replacing anything, create and retain a backup of the current database and a separate copy of the WordPress files. The database contains posts, pages, comments, users, and settings; it does not contain themes, plugins, uploads, wp-config.php, or custom server configuration.
What an SQL import changes
A WordPress SQL dump is a collection of MySQL statements. Importing it writes those statements into a selected database; it does not copy PHP files or media. A complete migration therefore has two independent parts:
- Database: posts, pages, comments, users, options, taxonomy, plugin settings, and other records stored in MySQL.
- Files and server configuration: the WordPress core, themes, plugins, uploads,
wp-config.php, PHP settings, web-server rules, and any custom code.
If you import only the database, the target must already have compatible WordPress files, or you must restore the matching files separately. Otherwise, missing themes, plugins, or uploads can look like a database failure even when the SQL import succeeded.
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Prepare a safe maintenance window
Schedule the import when you can temporarily prevent writes. New comments, orders, form submissions, or edits made while the old and new databases differ may be lost when the imported copy replaces the current one. Put the site in maintenance mode or otherwise restrict traffic, and tell editors when the site will be read-only.
Record the current environment
Write down the values below before changing anything:
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httporhttps, hostname, and any subdirectory such as/blog. - The PHP and MySQL versions, active theme, and active plugins.
- The absolute path to the WordPress installation.
- Whether the installation is single-site or multisite.
This inventory gives you a reference for selecting the right database and for diagnosing a blank page, redirect loop, missing media, or plugin error after the import.
Back up both databases and files
Export the database currently used by the site and save the dump outside the web root. Also copy the entire WordPress directory, including wp-content/uploads, themes, plugins, and wp-config.php. Keep the old database available until validation is complete; it is your quickest rollback if the imported copy is incomplete.
A database export does not protect files, and a file copy does not protect database records. Treat them as separate backups and label each with the date, source site, database name, and table prefix.
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Confirm the destination database and credentials
Create the destination MySQL database and user through your hosting control panel or MySQL administration tools, or select the existing database that should receive the dump. Grant that user the privileges required to create, alter, insert, update, and delete tables and data. An import can fail partway through if the account can connect but lacks a required privilege.
Open the target site’s wp-config.php and verify these settings:
define( 'DB_NAME', 'database_name' );
define( 'DB_USER', 'database_user' );
define( 'DB_PASSWORD', 'database_password' );
define( 'DB_HOST', 'database_host' );
$table_prefix = 'wp_';The SQL must be imported into the database identified by DB_NAME, using the host, user, and password supplied by the file. Check the table prefix as well: a dump containing wp_old_ tables will not be read by a configuration expecting wp_ unless you deliberately change the prefix or rename the tables.
Do not assume that a database name shown in a hosting panel is the one WordPress uses. Read the values from wp-config.php, and verify the destination by listing its existing tables before importing.
Choose phpMyAdmin or WP-CLI
| Consideration | phpMyAdmin | WP-CLI |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Browser-based graphical interface | SSH or terminal command line |
| Best fit | One-off imports when shell access is unavailable | Repeatable migrations, automation, and large files |
| Main risk | Upload limits, request timeouts, and selecting the wrong database | Running a command from the wrong directory or against the wrong credentials |
| URL changes | Needs a serialization-safe plugin or carefully designed SQL operations | Built-in wp search-replace with dry-run and serialized-data handling |
Either method writes to MySQL; neither copies themes, plugins, uploads, or server configuration. Select the method you can verify and recover from, not merely the one with the shortest command.
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Method 1: import with phpMyAdmin
1. Open the exact destination database
Sign in to phpMyAdmin, select the database named by DB_NAME, and inspect the table list. If the database contains the live site’s current tables, stop and confirm that your backup is complete before replacing them. Selecting a similarly named database is a common cause of an apparently successful but invisible import.
2. Use the Import screen
- Choose Import for the selected database.
- Select the SQL dump file with the file chooser.
- Leave the format as SQL unless the dump was generated in another format.
- Start the import and wait for phpMyAdmin’s completion message.
For a large dump, the browser request may exceed the server’s upload or execution limits. A timeout does not prove that no data was written; check the table list and row counts before trying again, because a second import can create duplicate data or conflicting tables.
3. Keep the previous database
Do not drop the old database or overwrite your only backup immediately after the import. Retain it until the front end, administration area, media, forms, and normal traffic have been tested. If the import fails, preserve the error text and restore the pre-import database rather than repeatedly guessing at partial statements.
Method 2: import with WP-CLI
WP-CLI runs from the WordPress directory and reads DB_HOST, DB_NAME, DB_USER, and DB_PASSWORD from wp-config.php. It imports SQL into that database but does not create the database itself.
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2. Import the dump
wp db import database.sqlUse an absolute path if the dump is stored elsewhere:
wp db import /secure/backups/database.sqlThe command passes the SQL to the MySQL client. WP-CLI adapts SQL modes that WordPress Core disables, including STRICT_TRANS_TABLES and NO_ZERO_DATE, which can make some legacy dumps import more cleanly. The compatibility behavior can be disabled with --skip-sql-mode-compat when you specifically need the server’s original SQL modes.
3. Use advanced controls only when needed
WP-CLI exposes options for unique-key checks, foreign-key checks, and additional arguments passed to the MySQL client. Change those only when the dump or server requires it, and document every non-default option so a rollback or repeat import is reproducible. Disabling checks can allow an import to proceed while also hiding data-integrity problems, so inspect the resulting tables afterward.
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4. Confirm completion
Check the command’s exit status and review its output for SQL errors. A command that returns to the prompt is not a substitute for application testing: an import can complete while the wrong prefix, URL, or file set prevents WordPress from working.
Update the domain, protocol, or path safely
If the dump came from another hostname, changed from http to https, or moved from a subdirectory to the document root, update stored URLs after the import. WordPress stores links in options, post content, metadata, widgets, and plugin tables. A plain text replacement can corrupt PHP serialized values because serialized strings include their character lengths.
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Run a WP-CLI dry run first
wp search-replace 'https://old.example' 'https://new.example' --all-tables --dry-runThe dry run reports what would change without writing to the database. Inspect the table scope and count before making changes. Include the old path in the search string when the installation moved, for example https://old.example/blog to https://new.example.
Apply the replacement
wp search-replace 'https://old.example' 'https://new.example' --all-tablesWP-CLI’s search-replace command is serialization-aware and handles PHP serialized data. Use --precise when serialized or otherwise complex data needs extra care, accepting that the operation may take longer. Keep the database backup until you have verified the result.
Check the canonical options
Review the home and siteurl values in the options table. They must reflect the URL visitors should use and the URL where WordPress core is installed. If either value still points to the old host or path, the site may redirect incorrectly or load assets from the wrong location.
Handle multisite deliberately
Multisite stores network and per-site data in different table groups. A single-site replacement scoped to one set of tables can leave other sites pointing at the old URL. WP-CLI supports --network for network-wide search-replace; use it only when the change is intended for every site in the network. For a single subsite, scope the operation carefully and verify the network tables separately.
Validate the imported site before reopening it
Work through this checklist while the maintenance window is still active:
- Load the public home page and several representative posts or pages.
- Sign in to
/wp-adminand confirm that administrator accounts work. - Open the Media Library and test images, documents, and other uploads.
- Click primary navigation menus, footer links, and internal links.
- Submit each important form and verify its configured destination.
- Open plugin settings and confirm that credentials, API endpoints, and scheduled tasks are still present.
- Check the active theme and inspect for PHP errors or a blank page.
- Save the permalink structure once, then visit a post URL. Flushing permalinks rebuilds rewrite rules after a path or server change.
- Purge application, page, object, reverse-proxy, and browser caches where those systems are used.
- Review web-server and PHP logs for database, permission, redirect, or fatal errors.
Test from an unauthenticated browser as well as an administrator session. Cached administrator pages can hide broken public URLs, and a working home page does not prove that media, forms, or deep links are correct.
Common failures and targeted fixes
| Symptom | Likely cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
| “Error establishing a database connection” | Wrong host, database name, user, password, or privileges in wp-config.php |
Compare each constant with the hosting database details, test the account, and verify that the user has access to the selected database. |
| Import stops with a timeout or upload-size error | phpMyAdmin or PHP request limits | Use WP-CLI or raise the host’s limits, then verify whether any tables were already written before retrying. |
| Tables exist but WordPress shows no content | Wrong database or table prefix | Confirm DB_NAME, inspect table names, and align $table_prefix with the imported tables. |
| Blank page or fatal error after import | Missing or incompatible theme/plugin files, PHP-version mismatch, or plugin configuration | Restore matching files, verify PHP compatibility, and inspect PHP logs before changing database data. |
| Images return 404 | Uploads were not copied, or stored URLs still use the old host/path | Restore the matching uploads directory, run a serialization-safe URL replacement, and purge caches. |
| Redirect loop or redirect to the old domain | home, siteurl, cached redirects, or server rules still reference the old URL |
Correct both options, inspect rewrite/server rules, and clear relevant caches. |
| Widgets or plugin settings disappear after a naive replacement | PHP serialized data was damaged when string lengths changed | Restore the pre-replacement backup and repeat with WP-CLI search-replace or another serialization-aware migration tool. |
| Foreign-key or duplicate-key errors | The dump expects a clean database or a particular import order | Read the SQL error, compare the destination schema, and restore a clean destination or use documented WP-CLI/MySQL check controls rather than suppressing errors blindly. |
Rollback and cleanup
If validation fails, take the site back into maintenance mode, restore the pre-import database, and restore any changed files from the matching backup. Recheck wp-config.php and server rules, then test again. Do not delete the imported database until you know which copy is authoritative.
After the site works under normal traffic, retain at least one dated database dump and one dated file backup according to your normal retention policy. Remove temporary SQL files from publicly accessible directories, disable maintenance mode, and monitor logs and key forms for delayed failures. Keep the original backup until editors have confirmed that important content and workflows survived the migration.
Quick Recap
A compact runbook
- Schedule maintenance and record database, prefix, URL, versions, theme, plugins, and installation path.
- Back up the current database and all WordPress files.
- Create or select the destination database, grant privileges, and verify
wp-config.php. - Import with phpMyAdmin’s Import screen or run
wp db import database.sqlfrom the correct WordPress directory. - If the URL or path changed, run
wp search-replacewith--dry-run, inspect scope, then apply the serialization-safe replacement. - Check
home,siteurl, login, front-end pages, media, menus, widgets, forms, plugins, permalinks, and caches. - Reopen the site only after validation, and retain the rollback copies.
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