Where are WordPress Pages Stored? (Answered)

WordPress is one of the most popular choices of content management systems by the majority of website owners. It is PHP and MySQL-based, the popular scripting language and Relational Database Management System (RDBMS). WordPress is ideal if you are looking for a CMS with advanced functions to create your websites.

Despite this fact, you might still ask, “Where are WordPress pages stored?” and “How do visitors find your webpage?”. These are smart questions. To sum it up, all your website’s posts and pages are in the WordPress database.

The following will show you how the WordPress database works. Furthermore, you will learn how WordPress creates a page from the database once users visit your website.

How Does WordPress Database Work?

Before you know the answer to where WordPress pages are stored, you need to learn about the WordPress basics. That includes the WordPress database and how it processes.

When you use WordPress as a content management system, it creates a static HTML file for your site’s pages. The database takes over the storage of all your pages’ content. Every time the page is loading, WordPress uses codes to gain access.

Some people might say, “My website works fine even without knowing how it works!”. However, knowing how the WordPress database stores and processes your information has many advantages. One of these is that you will learn how to resolve WordPress issues on your own.

Each WordPress page contains theme files, such as single.php for blog posts and page.php. Sometimes, the template defines and arranges additional custom posts for your content. On the other hand, the database (MySQL DB) stores information, images, text, embeds, and more. That means you need to search through the MYSQL database to access your website content.

Apart from the database, WordPress comes with two more elements:

  • Any plugins, themes, files, or media attachments you upload to your site
  • The core files you install to run WordPress itself

You can write code to create your website’s pages. However, that will take time and resources to create one. Instead, you can use the WordPress element to build pages on your site.

Once you visit a website, that will signal the database to present the required content by loading a set of PHP scripts. Then, it processes and builds an HTML page on the fly. Finally, that will send the page to your browser.

Through the process of a database, you are putting the dynamic content altogether into a cohesive page. WordPress gathers the dynamic content from various sources, such as the page content, header, sidebar, and footer.

How to Generate the HTML Pages for Your Visitors

  • The user selects a particular page from your WordPress website.
  • The PHP function, which starts with index.php, starts to load.
  • It will signal the database about the particular page you select.
  • WordPress will generate an HTML page by compiling the data, together with the plugins and themes.
  • The database will render the requested HTML page.

This step is possible through MySQL, which generates HTML pages for your page’s visitors. That also means you don’t need to keep each page for every post on your server.

Where are WordPress Pages Stored

Take note that the WordPress database stores specific items and pages from your website. This includes the following:

  • User’s data and settings
  • Your website’s general settings (plugins, themes, site’s title, and description
  • Your site’s attachment information (file name, alt text, description, and pages or posts information)
  • Your site’s metadata, which includes the post categories, tags, custom taxonomies, custom field, and plugins’ metadata
  • Custom post types, posts, and pages

WordPress database stores your pages and posts by dividing all the items into 12 tables. All tables connect one another, and they are all essential in keeping your pages and posts in a safe place. Out of all the database tables, wp_posts is the most important one.

Here are the WordPress database tables and their purposes:

  • wp_usermeta: saves metadata on your users
  • wp_users: saves the user’s data on your site, including their password and username
  • wp_termmeta: saves metadata on your taxonomy terms
  • wp_term_relationships: stores the posts assignment to categories, saving the post and other types of contributions, also known as “terms.”
  • wp_term_taxonomy: saves the taxonomy of wp_terms table’s term
  • wp_terms: saves all your site’s taxonomy terms, such as the tags and categories
  • wp_commentmeta: saves all the metadata of your site’s comments
  • wp_comments: saves all your posts’ comments, which includes the time and the poster’s name
  • wp_postmeta: stores all the metadata from the wp_posts, like the custom fields and editing lock
  • wp_posts: stores every file or content of your website, including the title, text content, modification date, creation date, author, and the publishing status excerpt.

Each one of these is essential for keeping your WordPress pages organized. Having these tables can help you to know where all your posts and pages are stored.

The Instructions on How to Access WordPress Pages Through phpMyAdmin

So far, you have learned where WordPress pages are stored in the MySQL database. Apart from that, you need to know how to access the files and tables in the SQL DB.

Take note: Mostly, it is useless to edit your page/post data outside the WordPress dashboard. If needed, you can only attempt to edit the database if you know exactly how to do it, because you could delete important files from your database.

Here are the steps to access your pages:

  • Use the phpMyAdmin tool by logging in to your cPanel account, then select the PHPMyAdmin icon.
  • Pick the name for your WordPress installation’s database name
  • Select the wp_posts sub-table
  • Click the corresponding “Browse,” then the stored content posts, pages, and custom posts appear.
  • Search for the post_type field to find pages or posts according to their categories

All the entries you have included to your post_type pages are the real page content of your website. If you want to edit them, select the “Edit” link for a code or direct content via PHPMyAdmin.

The Ultimate Guide on How to Manually Backup Your WordPress Site Databases

Every WordPress website comes with an open-source nature. That is why your website can be vulnerable to hackers by tracking the security and scrutinizing the underlying code.

Apart from the potential risk of being hacked, the unexpected might happen. One of these could be sudden crash downs or the accidental loss of your web page data.

Sometimes, even though you purchase the most expensive or high-rated security plugin, it cannot help save your files. Having a backup is crucial to keep your data.

You need to have various code copies to restore the website when problems occur. As a result, you will keep your potential customers in the long run.

Here is the ultimate guide to backup your database via phpMyAdmin:

  • Login to your cPanel of your server, then select phpMyAdmin.
  • The database page will appear and present all your databases.
  • Select the database you want to backup.

  • Choose the “Export” option when you are inside the database.
  • It will redirect to the export page.
  • Then, download the WordPress server backup.
  • It will show the two ways of exporting and formatting your database—Quick and Custom. Select the method according to your preference.
  • Select the SQL file format to store your SQL database.

  • Click “Go,” and the database downloading begins

FAQs about where the WordPress pages are stored

1. Where is the default location for WordPress pages to be stored?

WordPress pages are by default kept in a database connected to your WordPress installation. Depending on the hosting environment you use, the database’s precise location and structure may change.

2. Can I change the storage location of my WordPress pages?

Yes, you can modify the location where your WordPress pages are stored. Nonetheless, it is a difficult task that calls for technical expertise. WordPress configuration files may need to be changed, and you may also need to move your current pages to the new storage location.

3. Are WordPress pages stored in a database or as individual files?

A database is where WordPress pages are primarily kept. Yet, the website’s file system stores distinct files for the photos and other media items linked to the pages.

4. How can I access my WordPress page files?

Your WordPress page files are accessible via FTP or the WordPress interface. Depending on your hosting environment and the setup of your WordPress installation, the file locations may change.

5. What file format are WordPress pages stored in?

WordPress pages are kept in a database in a specific format that is supported by the MySQL database management system. WordPress can easily store and retrieve page data thanks to this format.

6. How can I backup my WordPress pages and where are they stored during backup?

WordPress backup plugins and manual file copying to a backup place are only two of the methods available. WordPress pages are often saved in a compressed file format, such as a ZIP file, during the backup process.

7. Is it possible to move WordPress pages from one hosting provider to another without losing data?

It is feasible to switch hosting providers without losing any data while moving WordPress pages. Your current WordPress pages must first be exported, moved to the new hosting company, and then imported into your fresh WordPress installation.

8. Can I access WordPress pages directly through FTP?

Absolutely, you can use FTP to directly access WordPress pages. But before making any adjustments, make sure you have a backup of your website and that you are only making changes to files that WordPress supports.

9. Are revisions of WordPress pages stored separately from the original page files?

Yeah, WordPress page revisions are kept apart from the original page files. As each revision is recorded as a separate entry in the database, you may, if necessary, restore earlier iterations of your pages.

10. How can I manage and organize my WordPress pages within the storage system?

Use categories, tags, and other organizational tools in the WordPress admin to manage and organize your WordPress pages. Also, you may automate the administration and arrangement of your pages within the storage system by using plugins and unique scripts.

Why You Need to Know Where WordPress Pages Are Stored

Although you don’t need a developer’s skill or advanced knowledge to edit your WordPress website, it still needs your manual attention. However, you don’t have to write codes to backup your database or know everything about WordPress. In fact, it is a content management system. That means it does the hard work for you.

Still, knowing how to back up the database manually is essential. The first step is to know the answer to, “Where are WordPress pages stored?”. As a result, you will learn to troubleshoot or edit an error right away.

With this guide, your WordPress site becomes more manageable.

If you enjoyed reading this article on where are WordPress pages stored, you should read this one on how to scan the WordPress database for malware.

We also wrote about a few related subjects like the WordPress database schemaWordPress database plugins, doing a WordPress database cleanup, or how to find and replace an URL in a WordPress database.


Bogdan Radusinovic
Bogdan Radusinovic

Senior SEO and Marketing Specialist

Articles: 137