How to fix ERROR 1008: Can't drop database; database doesn't exist in MySQL

First, check if the database actually exists on your MySQL server. Use the SHOW DATABASES command to list all available databases and verify the exact spelling and case:

SHOW DATABASES LIKE 'your_database_name';

If this query returns no rows, the database does not exist and you can skip the DROP operation entirely. If it does return a row, use that exact name (matching case) in your DROP statement.

The most straightforward solution is to add the IF EXISTS clause to your DROP DATABASE statement. This makes the command idempotent and safe to run repeatedly:

DROP DATABASE IF EXISTS sales_data;

With IF EXISTS, MySQL will silently succeed even if the database doesn't exist, rather than throwing ERROR 1008. This is the recommended approach for production scripts and migrations where databases might already be cleaned up.

Carefully review the database name you're trying to drop:

-- Check exact names in information_schema
SELECT SCHEMA_NAME FROM information_schema.schemata WHERE SCHEMA_NAME='exact_name';

-- List all schemas to find the correct name
SELECT SCHEMA_NAME FROM information_schema.schemata ORDER BY SCHEMA_NAME;

On Unix/Linux, database names are case-sensitive. "MyDatabase" and "mydatabase" are different. On Windows, they are treated as the same. Make sure your DROP statement uses the exact spelling and case as shown in the SHOW DATABASES output.

Ensure the MySQL user executing the DROP command has the required DROP privilege. Check current privileges:

-- Check privileges for current user
SHOW GRANTS FOR CURRENT_USER();

-- Check specific database privileges
SHOW GRANTS FOR 'username'@'host';

If the user lacks DROP privilege, grant it:

GRANT DROP ON database_name.* TO 'username'@'host';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Note: You need the GRANT privilege to modify user permissions.

If the database appears to exist in SHOW DATABASES but DROP still fails with ERROR 1008, check the filesystem:

# Check if database directory exists (default location varies)
ls -la /var/lib/mysql/  # Linux/Unix
ls -la "C:\ProgramData\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\Data\" # Windows

If the directory is missing or corrupted, you may need to:

1. Ensure the MySQL service user has read/write permissions to the data directory
2. Repair the MySQL data directory if corruption is suspected
3. Restore from backup if the database was accidentally deleted from the filesystem

Restart the MySQL server after making filesystem changes:

sudo systemctl restart mysql  # Linux
# or
mysql.server restart  # macOS