How to Create a MySQL Database in cPanel

Most websites and applications — WordPress, Joomla, Laravel, custom PHP apps — require a MySQL database to store content, user data, and settings. This guide walks you through creating a database, a database user, and linking them together in cPanel.

What You'll Create

Steps

Step 1: Log in to cPanel

Navigate to yourdomain.com/cpanel or log in via the Cynet client area at manage.cynet.com.my → My Services → Web Hosting → Manage → cPanel Login.

Step 2: Open Manage My Databases

In the cPanel dashboard, scroll to the Databases section and click Manage My Databases.

Naming: current cPanel calls this tool Manage My Databases (1). Older guides — and older cPanel versions — call it MySQL Databases. It is the same page. Database Wizard (2) next to it does the whole job in one guided flow; see the wizard section below if you would rather not do the steps by hand.

Step 3: Create a New Database

1. Under Create New Database, enter a name for your database. Keep it short and descriptive — wordpress, shop, app
2. Click Create Database
3. cPanel confirms "Added the database ..." on its own page. Click Go Back to return to the tool

Step 4: Create a Database User

Scroll down to Database Users → Add New User.

1. Username — prefixed with your cPanel username exactly like the database name, and capped the same way
2. Password and Password (Again) — type the same password twice. A Strength meter under the fields scores it as you type; aim for the green Very Strong (100/100) band
3. Password Generator — click this instead if you would rather cPanel produce a random password. Copy it somewhere safe before you dismiss it; cPanel will not show it to you again
4. Click Create User, then Go Back on the confirmation page

Important: The database user password is separate from your cPanel password. Use a unique password for each database user.

Step 5: Assign the User to the Database

A database and a user do nothing on their own — the two have to be linked. Scroll down to Add User To Database.

1. User — select the user you just created
2. Database — select the database you just created
3. Click Add

Can't find this section? It only appears once the account has at least one database and at least one user. On a brand-new account with neither, cPanel hides it entirely — finish Steps 3 and 4 first and it will be there.

Step 6: Set Privileges

Clicking Add opens Manage User Privileges for that exact pair, named at the top of the page so you can check you picked the right two.

1. Tick ALL PRIVILEGES — it cascades down and ticks all eighteen individual privileges for you
2. Click Make Changes

For most websites and applications, All Privileges is the correct choice. If you need restricted access for security (e.g., a read-only user), leave ALL PRIVILEGES unticked and select only the individual privileges you need.

Step 7: Check It Worked

Back on the main page, your database now shows the user in the Privileged Users column of Current Databases.

A database with a blank Privileged Users cell is the failure this whole procedure exists to prevent — it is the number one cause of "Error establishing a database connection" after a manual install. If yours is blank, Step 5 did not take.

Step 8: Done

Your database is ready. Note down these details — you'll need them when configuring your website or application:

Faster: Use the Database Wizard

Database Wizard, in the same Databases section of the dashboard, is cPanel's guided version of Steps 3 to 6. It asks for the database name, then the username and password, then the privileges — in that order, one screen at a time — so there is no way to end up with a database and a user that were never linked.

1. Enter the database name (1) — same username prefix, same 53-character limit
2. Click Next Step (2)
3. The next screen asks for the username and password of the database user
4. The screen after that asks for the privileges — tick ALL PRIVILEGES

Using the Database in Your Application

WordPress (wp-config.php)

When installing WordPress manually, enter these values in wp-config.php:

define('DB_NAME', 'cpaneluser_yourdbname');
define('DB_USER', 'cpaneluser_yourusername');
define('DB_PASSWORD', 'your_database_password');
define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');

Tip: If you install WordPress via Softaculous or WP Toolkit, the database is created automatically — you don't need to do this manually.

PHP Application

Connect to the database using PDO or MySQLi:

$host = 'localhost';
$dbname = 'cpaneluser_yourdbname';
$user = 'cpaneluser_yourusername';
$pass = 'your_database_password';

$pdo = new PDO("mysql:host=$host;dbname=$dbname;charset=utf8mb4", $user, $pass);

Laravel (.env)

DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=localhost
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=cpaneluser_yourdbname
DB_USERNAME=cpaneluser_yourusername
DB_PASSWORD=your_database_password

Managing Your Database with phpMyAdmin

After creating the database, you can manage it (create tables, import data, run queries) using phpMyAdmin:

1. Go to cPanel → Databases → phpMyAdmin
2. Select your database from the left sidebar

• Import a .sql file to populate the database
• Export the database as a backup
• Create tables and manage structure
• Run SQL queries directly
• Browse and edit data

Importing an Existing Database

If you have a .sql database file to import (e.g., from a migration or backup):

1. Open phpMyAdmin in cPanel
2. Select the target database from the left sidebar
3. Click the Import tab
4. Click Choose File and select your .sql file
5. Leave the default settings (Format: SQL)
6. Click Go

Upload limit: phpMyAdmin typically allows files up to 50–100 MB. For larger databases, upload the .sql file via FTP and import via SSH: mysql -u username -p database_name < file.sql

Deleting a Database

If you no longer need a database:

1. Go to cPanel → Manage My Databases
2. Scroll to Current Databases
3. Click Delete next to the database you want to remove
4. Confirm the deletion

Warning: Deleting a database permanently removes all data. Create a backup first if you might need the data later.

Troubleshooting

"Error establishing a database connection"

• Verify the database name, username, and password in your application's configuration file match exactly what's in cPanel (including the prefix)
• Confirm the user is assigned to the database with privileges (Steps 5 and 6) — creating both without linking them is the most common cause
• Ensure the database host is set to localhost

"Access denied for user"

• The user may not have been assigned to the database — check the Privileged Users column in Current Databases, and if it is blank, redo Steps 5 and 6
• The password may be incorrect — reset it in Manage My Databases → Current Users
• Privileges may not be set — reassign the user with All Privileges

Database not showing in phpMyAdmin

• The database user may not have privileges — reassign the user to the database
• Try logging out and back in to cPanel to refresh the session
• Verify the database exists under Current Databases on the Manage My Databases page

"Can't create database — quota exceeded"

• Your hosting plan has a maximum number of databases. Check your plan limits in the Cynet client area
• Delete unused databases to make room, or upgrade your plan