When housekeeping your MySQL database, you will need to know how to delete a database field in phpMyAdmin to maintain a clean, efficient, and secure database structure.
In this tutorial, you will learn how to do this in phpMyAdmin. You can access the software using the cPanel dashboard; it is available to users on one of Hosted.com’s hosting plans.
Steps To Delete A Database Field
This tutorial assumes you have already logged in to phpMyAdmin:
1. Select the Database. Then select the Database Table from which you want to delete fields. For this example, we will select the “test1” Table.

3. Open the dropdown menu below the Table and click “Columns”.

4. For this example, we will delete the “city” Field, so go ahead and check the first Box.

5. After checking the Box, click “Drop” under Action and “OK” to confirm.

4. Click the Delete (or Drop) icon and click Yes to confirm.

That’s it! You have successfully deleted the Database Field “city” from the Database Table.
You’ve reached the end of this tutorial. Now you know how to delete fields from Database Tables in phpMyAdmin.
Additional Information:
Reasons To Delete A Database Field From A DB Table
A database table may need fields or columns deleted for several reasons.
Data Redundancy
As time passes, database tables may contain the same data in several places. Alternatively, some fields could be redundant or unnecessary for the current application or business process. Eliminating these fields removes meaningless data and simplifies the database structure.
Data Security and Privacy
Data security protects data from being accessed, used, or disclosed without authority. Data privacy includes protecting sensitive or personally identifiable information (PII), i.e. credit card and bank account details. Data breaches and unauthorized access are less likely when sensitive data is removed or secured and can only be accessed with permission.
Database Optimization
This process involves enhancing the speed by which data is retrieved and maximizing storage space. Using small tables with fewer fields means one can recover data faster. This also requires less storage, as unnecessary and duplicated fields are eliminated.
Schema Refactoring
As software requirements change or must be fixed, database schemas may be modified to accommodate this. Part of the schema refactoring process includes removing obsolete fields to keep the database structure flexible and responsive to changes.
Normalization
Database normalization involves reorganizing data to reduce dependencies and redundancies and make it easier for users to analyze. As part of the normalizing process, unnecessary fields are often removed, making the database design more effective and manageable.
Data Migration
When transferring data between various database systems or versions, fields that will no longer be supported or necessary in the new environment may be removed. This is known as data migration. Eliminating these fields guarantees seamless data conversion.
Data Archiving
Older or historical data fields may occasionally become obsolete but must be kept for compliance or archival reasons, in which case they can be retrieved from long-term storage. Removing obsolete fields enhances data archiving procedures and helps control database bloat.