Quick answer: In phpMyAdmin, select the target database in the left sidebar, open the Import tab, choose your .sql file, and click Go. For files larger than the upload limit, compress to .sql.gz or import over SSH with mysql -u user -p db < file.sql.
phpMyAdmin is the easiest way to load a .sql dump into a MySQL database without the command line. It works well for small and medium databases; very large files are better handled over SSH.
In cPanel, create an empty database and user (see the related article). Import expects the destination to exist. If your .sql file already contains CREATE DATABASE statements, import into a database of the same name, or remove those lines so the dump loads into the database you select.
From cPanel > phpMyAdmin, click the target database name in the left sidebar so the import lands in the right place. Importing without selecting a database is the most common cause of tables ending up in the wrong spot.
Click the Import tab, choose your .sql file, leave the format as SQL, and click Go. A success message confirms the tables were created.
phpMyAdmin enforces an upload size limit. If your file exceeds it, either compress the dump to .sql.gz (phpMyAdmin imports compressed files directly) or import over SSH:
mysql -u cpaneluser_dbadmin -p cpaneluser_store < backup.sql
The command-line route has no practical size limit and is far faster for large databases.
After import, expand the database in the sidebar and confirm the expected tables and row counts are present. For a migrated site, update any stored site URL or configuration values that point at the old server.
Why did my import go to the wrong place?
You must click the target database in the sidebar first, or tables land in the wrong database.
My file is too big to upload - what now?
Compress it to .sql.gz, which phpMyAdmin imports directly, or use the command line, which has no practical size limit.
If you are moving a full site to us, our team handles the database import as part of the free migration included with SoftSys managed Linux VPS plans - you do not have to touch phpMyAdmin at all.
