How to Use phpMyAdmin to Manage Databases

phpMyAdmin is a web tool for managing MySQL databases without typing commands. It is bundled with cPanel and is the easiest way to inspect or edit your data directly.

Opening phpMyAdmin

1. In cPanel, scroll to the Databases section.
2. Click phpMyAdmin. It opens in a new tab, already logged in to your account.
3. Your databases appear in the left sidebar. Click one to expand its tables.

Browsing and Editing Data

• Click a table name to see its rows under the Browse tab.
• Click the pencil icon next to a row to edit a single record.
• Use the Search tab to find rows matching a value.
• The Structure tab shows columns, types, and indexes for the table.

Take care when editing rows directly, there is no undo. Make a backup first if the data matters.

Running SQL Queries

The SQL tab lets you run any query against the selected database. A common example is updating a WordPress site URL:

UPDATE wp_options
SET option_value = 'https://yourdomain.com'
WHERE option_name = 'siteurl';

Type or paste the query, then click Go. The result and the number of affected rows appear below.

Common Tasks

• Empty a table: select it, choose the Operations tab, and use Empty.
• Drop a table: tick it in the table list and choose Drop from the dropdown.
• Repair a table: select tables, then choose Repair table from the With selected menu.

If phpMyAdmin shows an access error, the database user may not have privileges on that database. Re-assign the user in MySQL Databases with all privileges, then reopen phpMyAdmin.