How to avoid Including databases in disk usage calculations via WHM?

What is the "Include Databases in Disk Usage" Setting?

By default, cPanel & WHM includes MySQL database sizes when calculating each account's total disk usage. This means your cPanel users see their database storage reflected in the disk usage meter. In some cases, such as when databases are stored on a separate partition or when you want to report only file-based disk usage, you may prefer to exclude databases from these calculations.

Steps to Exclude Databases from Disk Usage Calculations

1. Log in to WHM as the root user.
2. Navigate to Home » Server Configuration » Tweak Settings.
3. In the search box at the top, type disk usage to quickly locate the option.
4. Under the Stats and Logs tab, find Include databases in disk usage calculations.
5. Set the toggle to Off to exclude databases from disk usage.
6. Click Save at the bottom of the page.

After saving, disk usage calculations will no longer include database sizes. Users will see updated figures after the next statistics run.

Important Notes

• When you disable this option, cPanel's disk usage bar and Metrics » Disk Usage will not reflect the size of MySQL/MariaDB databases.
• This can be useful if databases are stored on a separate disk or partition from the user's home directory.
• The change takes effect on the next statistics processing cycle. You can trigger an immediate update by running /usr/local/cpanel/bin/cpanellogd from the command line, but this is usually not necessary.
• This setting does not affect actual database storage — it only changes how disk usage is displayed and reported.

Troubleshooting

• Disk usage still includes databases: Wait for the next statistics run (typically once per day). The displayed disk usage will update automatically.
• Can't find the option: Use the Tweak Settings search bar and type disk usage. In recent WHM versions, this setting is located under the Stats and Logs tab.

For official documentation, see the cPanel Tweak Settings guide.