How Do I Fix the mysqldump Error "Access denied; you need (at least one of) the PROCESS privilege(s)"?

Why am I getting this message?

When you run a backup with:

mysqldump -u user -p DATABASE_NAME > backup.sql this error will be displayed:

mysqldump: Error: 'Access denied; you need (at least one of) the PROCESS privilege(s) for this operation' when trying to dump tablespace This is because mysqldump tries to export internal information (tablespaces) that requires a special privilege (PROCESS) which isn't granted to user accounts.

How do I fix it easily?

Add the --no-tablespaces option to your command:

mysqldump -u user -p --no-tablespaces DATABASE_NAME > backup.sql

Will I lose any data?

No. This option doesn't remove your tables or your data. It only disables the export of unnecessary technical information in a standard restore. You can restore the database normally from this file.

Updated on: 17/07/2026