Your [key_buffer_size][1] is way too big. Since your MyISAM indexes is that small, set it to 128K. You need to open my.cnf and add this under the `[mysqld]` group header [mysqld] key_buffer_size = 128K; You don't need to restart mysql. Just run this SET GLOBAL key_buffer_size = 1024 * 128; Give it a Try !!! [1]: http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.6/en/server-system-variables.html#sysvar_key_buffer_size