Updated: 28 September 2026 · Applies to: cPanel & WHM 138, PHP 8.1 to 8.4
WordPress shows Your PHP installation appears to be missing the MySQL extension which is required by WordPress when PHP cannot talk to MariaDB/MySQL.
Why it happens
WordPress (and other applications) connect to the database with PHP's mysqli extension. The message appears when the PHP version used by the site does not have it loaded, for example after switching to another PHP version.
cPanel with MultiPHP
- In cPanel, open Software › MultiPHP Manager and note the PHP version of the site.
- The server administrator enables
ea-php83-php-mysqlnd(it provides mysqli and PDO MySQL) for that version in WHM › Software › EasyApache 4. On Ucartz hosting it is enabled for all offered versions; if you still see the message, contact support.
CloudLinux PHP Selector
In Software › Select PHP Version › Extensions, make sure mysqlnd, nd_mysqli and nd_pdo_mysql are ticked. If mysqli and pdo_mysql are also ticked, untick them: the nd_ versions replace them and the two should not be enabled together.
Check
Create a file with <?php var_dump(extension_loaded("mysqli"));, open it in your browser (it should show bool(true)), and delete it.
Servers without cPanel
dnf install php-mysqlnd && systemctl restart php-fpm # AlmaLinux / Rocky apt install php8.3-mysql && systemctl restart php8.3-fpm # Ubuntu 24.04
Tip: Use a current PHP version (8.3 or newer) for WordPress 7.1. Very old WordPress versions used the removed mysql_* functions; update WordPress if the message appears together with other PHP errors.
