You can back up MySQL databases from the Database section of the Control Panel in your hosting account. This process creates and stores your backups in a folder titled _db_backups.

To Backup a MySQL Database

1. In the Databases menu of the Control Panel in your hosting account, click MySQL.
2. From your list of databases, click Actions next to the database you want to use, and then click Back Up.
3. Click OK to back up your database.

   NOTE: When you create a backup file in the Control Panel in your hosting account, our system names the file based on the name of the existing database. While you cannot define a file name during the backup process, you can rename a file once the process is complete.

You can check on the status of your backup from the Database Information screen.

Next, you need to create a new database using MySQL version 5. It can take up to one hour to create a database.

To Set up a MySQL 5 Database

1. From the Databases menu of the Control Panel in your hosting account, click MySQL.
2. Click Add.
3. Complete the fields.
4. Verify the settings, and then click OK.

Now, you can restore your previous data to the MySQL 5 database.

To Restore Your WordPress MySQL Database

1. From the Databases menu of the Control Panel in your hosting account, click MySQL.
2. From your list of databases, click Actions next to the database you want to use, and then click Restore.
3. Select the backup file you want to restore.
4. Click Restore.

You can check the progress of your restore from the Database Information screen.

Finally, find the host name for your new MySQL database, and then modify your wp-config.php file to connect to your new database.

To Find the Host Name for Your MySQL Database

1. From the Databases menu of the Control Panel in your hosting account, click MySQL.
2. From your list of databases, click Actions next to the database you want to use, and then click Details.
3. Note the following items:
   
   • Host Name
   • Database Name and User Name

To Modify Your wp-config.php File

1. From the Tools section, click FTP File Manager.
2. Locate and select the wp-config.php file for your WordPress site, and then click Edit.
3. In wp-config.php, locate the section that looks like this example:

   /** The name of the database for WordPress */
   define('DB_NAME', 'putyourdbnamehere');
   

   /** MySQL database username */
   define('DB_USER', 'usernamehere');
   

   /** MySQL database password */
   define('DB_PASSWORD', 'yourpasswordhere');
   

   /** MySQL hostname */
   define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');

   NOTE: The wp-config.php file displays your old database name, location, and password, rather than this default information.

4. Replace the following with the information for your database:
   • putyourdbnamehere — Your MySQL database name.
   • usernamehere — Your MySQL user name.
   • yourpasswordhere — Your MySQL password.
   • localhost — Your MySQL host name.
5. Click the disk icon to save your updates.