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How to change WordPress URL in database: A MySQL tutorial using phpMyAdmin

WordPress relies on the MySQL database to store its data, including site URLs. If you ever need to change your WordPress URL, you have to make adjustments in MySQL.

This creates a problem when you need to change the website’s domain and URL. Not only will your site address change, but all internal links stored in the database will also be broken.

Fortunately, it is an easy fix to update the site address and domain. In this article, we will walk you through the easy way of changing the WordPress URL in a MySQL database using phpMyAdmin.

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1. Determining the Name of WordPress MySQL Database

Skip this part if you only have one MySQL database. However, if you have multiple databases and are not sure which one is connected to your WordPress, then follow the steps below.

WordPress stores the MySQL database names and their credentials in the wp-config.php file. You can find this file in your root file directory:

  1. Access your hPanel and open File Manager.
  2. Select the domain name, then click Go to File Manager.
hPanel dashboard, File manager highlighted
  1. Open wp-config.php and search for DB_NAME. The value of this parameter is your database name. For instance, the name of our MySQL database is u123456789_gagap.
wp-config file, database username highlighted

2. Changing WordPress URLs in MySQL Database

To replace your current URL, follow these steps:

  1. Go to phpMyAdmin via your website’s control panel.
  2. The left panel lists all of your databases. Select the one connected to your WordPress site and head to the SQL tab.
phpMyAdmin run SQL query/queries on database
  1. Enter the following SQL query:

UPDATE wp_options SET option_value = replace(option_value, 'oldurl.com', 'newurl.com') WHERE option_name = 'home' OR option_name = 'siteurl';UPDATE wp_posts SET guid = replace(guid, 'oldurl.com','newurl.com');UPDATE wp_posts SET post_content = replace(post_content, 'oldurl.com', 'newurl.com'); UPDATE wp_postmeta SET meta_value = replace(meta_value,'oldurl.com','newurl.com');

Replace oldurl.com with your current WordPress address and newurl.com with your new WordPress address.

Important! Your table prefix might not be wp_. See the correct table prefix on the left panel of phpMyAdmin, and update the SQL query.

  • Press Go. You will see success messages along with the number of changed rows. Note that the number of rows will be different for each WordPress website.
    This image shows that you have successfully changed your WordPress URLs
  • The last thing we need to do is verify the changes. Open the wp_options table and check the option_value of siteurl and home. You should see your new URL.
    The new URLs in wp_options table
  • If you get error messages and the queries are not executing, check your code for syntax errors and make sure you are using the correct table prefix. Contact the hosting support for further assistance if the error persists.

    Conclusion

    We have just learned how to change WordPress URLs in the MySQL database using phpMyAdmin.

    As we can see, all the steps above are quite straightforward. You just need to determine the correct database and then input some lines of code.

    We hope this tutorial can give you clear guidance on how to change WordPress URLs in the MySQL database. Kindly leave any questions you have below!

    Change WordPress URL in Database FAQ

    Once you know how to change WordPress URLs in your database, here are some frequently asked questions about the topic.

    How Do I Change the URL in MySQL?

    Changing the URL in MySQL requires some technical knowledge. First, you’ll need to open the database where your URL is stored, often in the data folder within your MySQL installation directory. Then, use a text editor to find and replace all instances of the old URL with the new one.

    How Do I Connect My WordPress Website to MySQL Database?

    First, log in to your hosting account and launch phpMyAdmin. There, click on the Import link from the top menu and then the Choose file button. Select your WordPress database to connect the two.

    Can I Change My WordPress Database Name?

    Yes, it is possible to change your WordPress database name. Once you access the phpMyAdmin from your hosting account, click on the Operations tab. Under Rename database to, enter the new name and click Go.

    Author
    The author

    Domantas G.

    Domantas leads the content and SEO teams forward with fresh ideas and out of the box approaches. Armed with extensive SEO and marketing knowledge, he aims to spread the word of Hostinger to every corner of the world. During his free time, Domantas likes to hone his web development skills and travel to exotic places.

    What our customers say

    Comments

    Author
    Pat

    April 04 2018

    Hi, I followed your instructions but it seems my new site still redirects to the old URL. I've checked the wp_options as you said and it's all pointing to the new. Very weird. Pat

    Author
    Apollos

    October 25 2019

    This worked wonderfully well for me. Thank you!

    Author
    Tawsif Shah Mostafa

    January 01 2020

    helpful post for a developer, thanks!

    Author
    vidcloud.us

    February 08 2020

    thanks for share this article

    Author
    Joe

    June 20 2020

    Excellent and well documented solution! Thanks

    Author
    Christine Yeary

    June 26 2020

    What if we don't have any table of wp_options ?

    Author
    Laura

    August 01 2020

    Hi, I own a website hosted in the main domain, and the blog hosted in a subdomain. I want to change the blog URL, so it would have the same domain as the site. Do you think it will work if I use this tutorial? Or it might go wrong since the new domain already exists? Thank you for your attention, Laura

    Author
    Larry G.

    August 04 2020

    What about serialized data? If the URLs are not the same length, just replacing URLs might be a problem...

    Author
    Jerry

    August 10 2020

    Hello, I have followed the process but now it sending Server IP not found error could you please help/?

    Author
    André

    September 06 2020

    Replacing domains in your database in tables that uses the PHP serialize function to store its data, results in a corrupted database. A much simpler method of replacing all domains at once, and repairing these serialized structures is by using a tool like https://wordpress-search-replace.io/

    Author
    Oliur Rahman

    October 12 2020

    Hello Excellent Information, I am highly recommended this blog. For these reasons, I have tried to find out a solution but, I don't get a very good solution. but I have got the right solution from here. Thanks

    Author
    Matthew Henderson

    October 20 2020

    Worked great! thanks.

    Author
    Wiatagan Paz

    January 21 2021

    This post was extremely useful. Very Thanks.

    Author
    casi

    January 22 2022

    This saved my ass thanks!

    Author
    Irfan

    February 08 2024

    Thank you to Hostinger and the author of this article

    Author
    Ramon

    July 18 2024

    I'm so grateful for finding this post. I thought that I had screwed up my entire website, but that didn't happen because of you guys. Thank you so much.

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