How can I fix the “Outdated/Missing MySQL Extension” errror in WordPress?

If you encounter an error message in WordPress indicating that your PHP installation is missing the MySQL extension, such as:

"Your PHP installation appears to be missing the MySQL extension which is required by WordPress."
"utf8mb4 requires a newer client library"

You will need to enable the necessary PHP extensions mysqlnd and nd_mysqli to resolve these issues.

Steps to Fix the Error:

Log in to cPanel.
Access your cPanel account using your credentials. Refer to this article: How do I log into cPanel?.

Navigate to Select PHP Version.
In the cPanel dashboard, locate and click on Select PHP Version under the "Software" section.

Switch to the Extensions Tab.
Once you're on the PHP Version page, click the Extensions tab.

Enable the following PHP extensions:
mysqlnd
nd_mysqli

If mysqli is enabled but nd_mysqli is not, you must disable mysqli before enabling the nd_mysqli extension.

After making these changes, the error messages should be resolved, allowing your site to function correctly.

If you continue to experience issues, please reach out to our support team or email helpdesk@elitehost.co.za for further assistance.​

Updated on: 17/10/2024