Taking a backup of your database may be called Exporting, Dumping, or Backing up. We'll show you how with the following steps. You only need to pick one of the two methods below: Plesk Database Dump or phpMyAdmin.
Note: If you're using an older version of Plesk, the button we refer to as "phpMyAdmin" will be called "DB Webadmin" instead.
Exporting your Database creating a Plesk Database Dump
- Begin by logging in to Plesk. If you have more than one hosting subscription (rare), be sure to select the correct one using the dropdown at the top of the panel
- Under the Websites & Domains tab (default), choose Databases to be taken to a list of all databases.
- Look for your database in the list. If you or someone else has tagged the database with its matching domain, it will say: "Related to: " and then show the domain beside it. Use the related to feature to identify which database you want when there is more than one. If the database hasn't been tagged with a domain, you can figure out which database you need by clicking on 1-click web apps, then finding your app in the list. Click the wrench icon, then the files & tables tab -- here it will show you the database name.
- Once you've identified the correct database, choose the "Export Dump" button (skip to the phpMyAdmin section below if you do not see an Export Dump option).
- You may save your dump to the Root directory, as is selected by default, or you can change the directory. If you opt to change the dump directory, do not save your export to a web-accessible directory like httpdocs -- this will be a major security risk.
- You can leave "Automatically download dump after creation" unchecked if you may need to re-import the database in the future using the "Import Dump" button, but definitely take note of the database name so you will know which one to import (in the event there's more than one dump). Feel free to check the box and have it download to your computer if you prefer to have a local copy.
- When this process is complete, you will have a dump of your database saved in the server storage location that you selected and optionally on your computer as well.
Exporting your Database using phpMyAdmin in Plesk
- Follow steps 1 through 3 above
- Click the "phpMyAdmin" button. Clicking this button will log you in to the phpMyAdmin utility automatically. If neither button appears, check the troubleshooting section below.
- Choose the "Export" button in the toolbar across the top of the page.
- Simple/Uncompressed: You can keep the export method at "Quick" and the Format at "SQL" and click Go to obtain your database export, however this will not compress the database contents and therefore could take some time to download.
- Advanced/Compressed: Choose Custom for the export method and scroll down. All tables should be selected by default -- there's no need to change this. Ensure "Save output to a file" is selected (it should be) and set Compression to Zipped if you're on Windows or gzipped if you're on a Mac or Linux OS (gzipped is often better compression, but files are usually not recognized by Windows without a third party app). Scroll down and click Go. You will now have a compressed full export of your database!
Troubleshooting
Missing the Webadmin Button?
If you don't see a Webadmin button for the database, this means there is no database user associated with the database. Without a user account to access the database, you can't view it! To fix this, create a new database user assigned to the database you are attempting to export. Here's how:
- Be sure you're looking at your list of databases by following steps 1-3 above.
- Click the Users tab or the "Users Management" button in the upper right corner
- Choose Add New Database User
- Enter a username and generate a password.
- Be sure to select the correct database in the list otherwise the Webadmin button will still not appear.
- Click OK to save changes
- Click on the Databases tab at the top left to go back to your list of databases
You should now be able to click through to phpMyAdmin/Webadmin.
