Title: Does export delete my current database
Last modified: September 8, 2023

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# Does export delete my current database

 *  [Douglas47](https://wordpress.org/support/users/douglas47/)
 * (@douglas47)
 * [2 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/does-export-delete-my-current-database/)
 * My host website is ehost, and apparently in 2018 they went out of business. My
   database was automatically transferred to another host, but still shows up as“
   ehost.” My wife’s non-profit org was likewise using ehost, and her website suddenly
   just disappeared three days ago. She gets a message that says ehost is no longer
   in business. She has been unable to retrieve her database. I don’t want the same
   thing to happen to me. So I want to download a copy of my database so I will 
   have it. The function I have found on WordPress is “export.” Looks simple enough.
   My question is, if I export my database, does it simply make a copy, or is it
   now removed from the host site?

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

 *  Moderator [Steven Stern (sterndata)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/sterndata/)
 * (@sterndata)
 * Volunteer Forum Moderator
 * [2 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/does-export-delete-my-current-database/#post-17036872)
 * That will not export your database; it exports a WXR (XML) format file of your
   content. You could use this to build a new site. If you want the real database,
   use the EXPORT function in PHPMYADMIN, available from your hosting control panel.
   Neither method changes or deletes your database.
 *  [George Appiah](https://wordpress.org/support/users/gappiah/)
 * (@gappiah)
 * [2 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/does-export-delete-my-current-database/#post-17037326)
 * > She gets a message that says ehost is no longer in business. She has been unable
   > to retrieve her database. I don’t want the same thing to happen to me.
 * Just a quick heads-up: While the database is certainly the most important part
   of your site, it is nonetheless not a complete backup of the site. It doesn’t
   include any of your uploaded images and other files (or even your active theme
   and plugins, though these can easily be replaced).
 * My recommendation is to install a **[WordPress backup plugin](https://wordpress.org/plugins/search/backup+restore/)**
   and configure it to automatically generate and send a **complete backup of your
   site** to a dedicated Google Drive account (15GB free) or some other external
   cloud storage service periodically (eg daily, weekly, monthly, etc — depending
   on how frequently you update your site).
 * This way you can easily restore a complete backup of the site would it ever become
   necessary — complete with all your content, theme, plugins and full site design—
   without having to rebuild the site (which you may have to do if all you have 
   is the database or worse, the WXR export file.)
 * Good luck!
 *  [duckhai](https://wordpress.org/support/users/duckhai/)
 * (@duckhai)
 * [2 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/does-export-delete-my-current-database/#post-17040083)
 * Ask your hosing provider – if any- for backup your full site, sourcecodes and
   database. The database is most important and you can accesst PHPMyadmin and export
   it like [@sterndata](https://wordpress.org/support/users/sterndata/)’ comment.
 * In the sourcecodes, the most important folder is “uploads” inside the folder 
   wp-comtent. This folder store your images, and maybe some custom data from other
   pluigns.

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

The topic ‘Does export delete my current database’ is closed to new replies.

## Tags

 * [export](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/export/)

 * In: [Everything else WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/miscellaneous/)
 * 3 replies
 * 4 participants
 * Last reply from: [duckhai](https://wordpress.org/support/users/duckhai/)
 * Last activity: [2 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/does-export-delete-my-current-database/#post-17040083)
 * Status: not resolved

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