Reset MySQL Root Password

by Kevin on March 6, 2009
in Random Knowlege

If for some reason the root account your MySQL install is locked out, follow this procedure to reset it.

First, stop the MySQL server, this is dependant on how your system operates. For a Debian based box (Ubuntu, Knoppix et al):

sudo /etc/init.d/mysql stop

Next, start up MySQL and tell it to bypass the authentication tables (the & is to background the process):

mysqld_safe --skip-grant-tables &

Launch the MySQL client:

mysql -u root mysql

and finally change the root password:

update user set Password=PASSWORD('new-password') where user='root';
flush privileges;
exit;

Kill the running MySQL server and start it again as per usual.

Random Geekage