Search a database with phpMyAdmin

Searching through a database with phpMyAdmin

Use phpMyAdmin's Search feature to find specific words or values across tables in your MySQL database.

phpMyAdmin includes a built-in Search feature that lets you find specific words or values across one or more tables in a database without writing SQL manually.

Open the database in phpMyAdmin

Log in to cPanel and open phpMyAdmin.
In the left-hand panel, click the name of the database you want to search.

Run a search

With the database selected, click the Search tab at the top of the main panel.
Enter the word or value you want to find - for example, a city name.
Use the options to refine your search:
- Choose a search type (for example, contains, exact match, or starts with).
- If your database has multiple tables, select which to include, or leave all selected to search everywhere.
Click Go to run the search.

Review the results

phpMyAdmin lists each table where a match was found, with a count of matching rows. Click Browse next to a result to view the matching records.

Search results in phpMyAdmin, showing the rows that matched

For large databases, narrowing the search to specific tables speeds things up considerably and reduces the chance of timing out. If nothing is found, phpMyAdmin shows a "No match" message - check your spelling and search type, then try again.

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