WHM Backup error: “mysqldump: Got error: 1049: Unknown database“

Symptoms

The following error is received during WHM backups:

CONFIG_TEXT: The backup process encountered the following error: The backup process on “hostname.domain.tld” encountered an error. 
[2025-12-10 02:25:26 -0600] mysqldump: Got error: 1049: Unknown database ‘example_database’ when selecting the database

Cause

This error most often indicates that the related database is present in a cPanel user's database map but does not exist in MySQL.

Resolution

1. Check if the database exists in MySQL. Run the following command to do so:

   # mysql -e "show databases;" | grep example_database

   Note: Replace "example_database" in the above command with the database listed in the backup error in the backup logs. 

2. If the above command returns no results, it indicates that the database does not exist in MySQL. Move on to step 3 if this is the case.
3. Navigate to the user's cPanel account and open the Databases / Manage My Databases menu.
4. Delete the database that only exists in cPanel, but does not exist within MySQL.

Additional Resources

MySQL® Databases