---
title: "How to Create a MySQL Database in cPanel"
description: "Create a MySQL database in cPanel, understand the username prefix, then add a user with ALL PRIVILEGES so WordPress or another application can connect."
url: "https://docs.noiz.ie/cpanel/how-to-create-a-mysql-database-in-cpanel/"
section: "cPanel"
categories:
  - "Control Panels > cPanel > Databases"
last_reviewed: "27 July 2026, against the current cPanel & WHM release"
---

# How to Create a MySQL Database in cPanel

This guide shows you how to create a MySQL database from within cPanel. A database is where applications such as WordPress, Joomla, PrestaShop and most content management systems store their content and settings. Creating the database is only the first half of the job: on its own an empty database cannot be used until you also create a database user and grant that user access to it, so this guide covers that essential next step too.

**Last reviewed:** 27 July 2026, against the current cPanel & WHM release. This guide is written for Noiz hosting and is kept current against cPanel. It complements, and does not replace, the official cPanel documentation linked below.

### Official Documentation Reference

- [cPanel » Manage My Databases](https://docs.cpanel.net/cpanel/databases/manage-my-databases/) is the reference for every field on this screen.
- [cPanel » Database Wizard](https://docs.cpanel.net/cpanel/databases/database-wizard/) is a guided alternative that creates the database, its user and the privileges in one flow.

## Prerequisites

- A Noiz hosting account with cPanel access.
- Your cPanel username and password, or single sign-on from the Noiz client area.

## Create the database

1. Log in to your cPanel account.
2. In the **Databases** section, click **Manage My Databases** (named **MySQL Databases** on older cPanel versions). ![The MySQL Databases icon in the Databases section of cPanel](/img/mysql-databases-icon.gif)
3. Under **Create New Database**, type a name for the database in the **New Database** field. Read the note on naming below before you decide on a name. ![Entering a new database name in the New Database field in cPanel](/img/create-db.gif)
4. Click **Create Database**. cPanel confirms that the database was added. ![cPanel confirmation message that the database was added successfully](/img/paper-db-added-successfully.gif)

### How cPanel names your database

cPanel automatically prefixes the database name with your cPanel username and an underscore. If your username is `example` and you type `shop`, the real database name becomes `example_shop`. Always use this full, prefixed name when you configure an application or a connection string, otherwise the connection fails with an "unknown database" error. Database names are limited in length and may contain only letters, numbers and underscores.

## Create a user and grant access

An empty database is not usable until a MySQL user is attached to it. This is the step most people miss. On the same **Manage My Databases** page:

1. Scroll to **MySQL Users**, then **Add New User**. Enter a username and a strong password, then click **Create User**. As with databases, the username is prefixed with your cPanel username, for example `example_appuser`.
2. Scroll to **Add User to Database**, select the new user and the new database, then click **Add**.
3. On the privileges screen, tick **ALL PRIVILEGES** for a standard application, then click **Make Changes**.

You now have four values to give your application: the database name, the database username, that user's password, and the database host, which is `localhost` on Noiz cPanel hosting.

### Faster alternative: the Database Wizard

If you would rather create the database, its user and the privileges in one guided sequence, open **Database Wizard** from the **Databases** section instead. It walks you through the same three steps across a single set of pages.

## Troubleshooting

**Application cannot connect, or reports the database does not exist**: confirm you used the full prefixed database name (`username_dbname`), that the user has been added to the database, and that the host is set to `localhost`.

**"Access denied" for the database user**: re-open **Add User to Database** and confirm the user is assigned to the database with the privileges the application needs.

**You need to connect from your own computer or an external server**: local, same-server connections use `localhost`. Remote connections must first have your IP address authorised under **Remote MySQL** in the **Databases** section, and then connect to the server hostname rather than `localhost`.

## Need a hand?

If you are on a Noiz managed plan, the support team can create databases, users and privileges for you, or check a connection that will not come up. Open a ticket from the Noiz client area and include the application you are connecting and the exact error message.

---
Source: https://docs.noiz.ie/cpanel/how-to-create-a-mysql-database-in-cpanel/