How to Upload a Database That’s Larger Than 50MB | InMotion Hosting

When migrating your site from another server to ours or if you are restoring a large website backup, you may need to upload or import a MySQL database that is larger than 50MB. Currently, all our shared servers have a limit of 50MB for the database upload in cPanel PhpMyAdmin. This is a global setting on the server that cannot be changed.

You can make a work around to get your database uploaded from your cPanel without contacting support. Softaculous has the ability to install PhpMyAdmin on a subdomain on your account. Installing PhpMyAdmin on a subdomain will allow you to change the php.ini settings that restrict the default PhpMyAdmin from uploading large databases. The following steps will explain how to do this.

Installing a PhpMyAdmin through Softaculous

All shared accounts have the ability to use Softaculous. PhpMyAdmin is available in your Softaculous program for install. The following will show you how to install it.

1. Login into your cPanel.
2. Create a subdomain for your PhpMyAdmin.
3. Go to Software and click Softaculous Apps Installer.
4. Select PhpMyAdmin from the DB Tools section.
5. Click install and select the subdomain you created in the Choose Domain Drop box. Leave the In Directory box blank.
6. Click install.

Next you will need to set the php.ini to allow larger file uploads.

Editing the php.ini to allow large database uploads

1. Login into your cPanel.
2. Copy your php.ini from your main domain to your subdomain document root folder.
3. Edit the php.ini you copied to your subdomain for your PhpMyAdmin.
4. Change the following to be larger than 100MB. You can make the settings like the example below.

   upload_max_filesize = 256mb memory_limit = 256mb post_max_size = 100mb

   Save the file.

5. Make the php.ini recursive in the .htaccess by editing the .htaccess in the subdomain directory and adding the path to your subdomain document root folder.That’s all there is to it. You will now be able to use your Softaculous installed PhpMyAdmin to upload a database larger than 50mb.