Plesk gives you two ways to back up a database — the built-in Export Dump tool or phpMyAdmin. Both produce a downloadable SQL file you can use to restore your data later.

## Method 1: using the Export Dump tool

1. Log in to your **Plesk control panel**.
2. Go to **Websites & Domains** > **Databases**.
3. Find the database you want to back up.
4. Click **Export Dump** next to the database name.
5. Choose where to save the dump file on the server (the default root directory is fine).
6. Tick **Automatically download dump after creation** if you want a local copy on your computer.
7. Click **OK**.
8. Once the export finishes, you'll see a confirmation with a download link at the bottom right of the page.

The exported file is saved as a **.zip** archive containing the SQL dump.

## Method 2: using phpMyAdmin

1. Go to **Websites & Domains** > **Databases**.
2. Click **phpMyAdmin** next to your database. This opens phpMyAdmin and logs you in automatically.
3. Click the **Export** tab at the top.
4. For a quick backup: leave the method as **Quick** and format as **SQL**, then click **Go**.
5. For a compressed backup: choose **Custom**, scroll down to **Compression**, select **zipped** or **gzipped**, then click **Go**.

## Important notes

- Always download a copy of your backup to your local computer — don't rely only on server-stored copies.
- Never save exports to a web-accessible directory like `httpdocs`. Anyone could download your database.
- For large databases, use the compressed export option in phpMyAdmin to reduce file size and download time.
- Schedule regular backups before making changes to your website or updating CMS software.

## Restoring from a backup

To restore, go to **Databases** and click **Import Dump**. Upload your SQL or ZIP file and click **OK**. If the database doesn't exist yet, tick **Create a new database** during import.

## Troubleshooting

- **Export Dump button missing?** Your database might not have a user account assigned. Go to **User Management**, create a new database user linked to that database, then try again.
- **phpMyAdmin times out on large databases?** Use the Export Dump method instead — it handles large databases more reliably.
- **Import fails with errors?** Make sure you're importing into the same database type (e.g., MySQL dump into a MySQL database).