Note: These instructions are for an older version of MySQL Workbench and are not going to work for you if you have a more recent download. For an updated version of this how-to, please check out this blog post. Making a backup in MySQL workbench is a pretty easy task, but it can be hard to find exactly where to do it the first time around. Typically when you're working in MySQL Workbench you will be using the SQL Development section. But in order to export a backup you have to move to the Server Administration section. The first time through you will have to Create A New Server Instance. If you have already set up the connection parameters in the SQL Development section, you can just choose Take Parameters from Existing Database Connection. MySQL Workbench will then test the connection. In the "Remote Management Type" dialog, select Do not use remote management. Create Instance Profile is just asking you for a name for the connection. You can enter whatever you'd like here. When you make the connection in the Server Administration section you will see a notice that remote administration is disabled. But don't worry, you can still make a backup of your database. Click the Data Dump tab to access the export utility. Check the box for the database you want to back up Choose Export to Self-Contained File and make sure the path is correct. Hit the Start Export button. When the export is complete the backup will be on your local machine in .sql format.
