Resetting the Root Password in MySQL: Windows Systems

Resetting the Root Password: Windows Systems

On Windows, use the following procedure to reset the password for the MySQL 'root'@'localhost' account. To change the password for a root account with a different host name part, modify the instructions to use that host name.

1. Log on to your system as Administrator.
2. Stop the MySQL server if it is running. For a server that is running as a Windows service, go to the Services manager: From the Start menu, select Control Panel, then Administrative Tools, then Services. Find the MySQL service in the list and stop it.
   If your server is not running as a service, you may need to use the Task Manager to force it to stop.
3. Create a text file containing the password-assignment statement on a single line. Replace the password with the password that you want to use.
   MySQL 5.7.6 and later:

   ALTER USER 'root'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'MyNewPass';

   MySQL 5.7.5 and earlier:

   SET PASSWORD FOR 'root'@'localhost' = PASSWORD('MyNewPass');

4. Save the file. This example assumes that you name the file C:\mysql-init.txt.
5. Open a console window to get to the command prompt: From the Start menu, select Run, then enter cmd as the command to be run.
6. Start the MySQL server with the special --init-file option (notice that the backslash in the option value is doubled):

   C:\> cd "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.7\bin"
   C:\> mysqld --init-file=C:\\mysql-init.txt

   If you installed MySQL to a different location, adjust the cd command accordingly.
   The server executes the contents of the file named by the --init-file option at startup, changing the 'root'@'localhost'account password.
   To have server output to appear in the console window rather than in a log file, add the --console option to the mysqldcommand.
   If you installed MySQL using the MySQL Installation Wizard, you may need to specify a --defaults-file option. For example:

   C:\> mysqld
            --defaults-file="C:\\ProgramData\\MySQL\\MySQL Server 5.7\\my.ini"
            --init-file=C:\\mysql-init.txt

   The appropriate --defaults-file setting can be found using the Services Manager: From the Start menu, selectControl Panel, then Administrative Tools, then Services. Find the MySQL service in the list, right-click it, and choose theProperties option. The Path to executable field contains the --defaults-file setting.
7. After the server has started successfully, delete C:\mysql-init.txt.