How to fix ERROR 1007: Can't create database; database exists in MySQL

First, verify what databases currently exist on your MySQL server:

SHOW DATABASES;

Look through the list to confirm whether the database name you're trying to create already exists. On Unix systems, names are case-sensitive, so "myapp" and "MyApp" are different databases.

Modify your CREATE DATABASE statement to include the IF NOT EXISTS clause:

CREATE DATABASE IF NOT EXISTS myapp;

This syntax tells MySQL to create the database only if it doesn't already exist. If the database exists, the statement succeeds silently without error. This is the safest approach for scripts that may run multiple times.

If you want to completely reset the database (delete all data), use DROP DATABASE IF EXISTS before creating:

DROP DATABASE IF EXISTS myapp;
CREATE DATABASE myapp;

The IF EXISTS clause prevents errors if the database doesn't exist. Use this only when you're certain all data in the database should be deleted.

When restoring from a mysqldump backup, you have two options:

Option 1: Modify the dump file before importing. Open the SQL dump file in a text editor and remove or modify the CREATE DATABASE line to include IF NOT EXISTS:

CREATE DATABASE IF NOT EXISTS myapp;

Option 2: Add the --add-drop-database flag when creating the dump initially (for future backups):

mysqldump --add-drop-database -u root -p myapp > backup.sql

This automatically includes DROP DATABASE IF EXISTS in the dump file.

If you don't need to recreate the database and just need to work with it, simply select it:

USE myapp;

You can verify which database is currently selected with:

SELECT DATABASE();