Question

Can anyone please advise me if there will be any problems changing the wordpress table prefix, after the installation has been completed.

I’m halfway through developing my wordpress website and I would like to change my table prefix to make it a little more secure.

If I go to the wp-config.php and change my prefix, will it break my current install – or will it automatically update the database?

/**
 * WordPress Database Table prefix.
 *
 * You can have multiple installations in one database if you give each a unique
 * prefix. Only numbers, letters, and underscores please!
 */
$table_prefix  = 'wp_';

I’m not great with databases, and I’m wondering if I need to run a query after I change this…

Thanks in advance for any help.

Answer 1

It won’t automatically work just by changing the prefix in your wp_config.php. That is part of the process, but there are some database changes you need to make too.

Back-up before making any changes to prevent a disaster.
Follow the instructions in the WordPress Codex.
Or, follow this walkthrough if you need help with the specifics of the process.