Introduction
We’ve all been there. You’ve forgotten your MySQL root password or it has mysteriously changed đ€. Thankfully there is a way around this using the --skip-grant-tables option.
Before you begin, if you are having problems logging into phpMyAdmin and getting an error Access denied for user ârootâ@âlocalhostâ , but you’re certain your root password is correct, please refer to this article first: Canât log into phpMyAdmin: mysqli_real_connect(): (HY000/1698): Access denied for user ârootâ@âlocalhostâ
1. Confirm MySQL version
Firstly, you must confirm which version of MySQL on Ubuntu you are running as commands will be different.
mysql -VIf you are on MySQL version 5, you will see something similar to:
mysql Ver 14.14 Distrib 5.7.30, for Linux (x86_64) using EditLine wrapperKeep note of your “Distrib”. In the above example, we are on MySQL 5.7. Keep note of this for later.
If on MySQL version 8, you will see something like:
mysql Ver 8.0.20-0ubuntu0.20.04.1 for Linux on x86_64 ((Ubuntu))2. Restart MySQL with skip-grant-table
In order to skip the grant tables and reset the root password, we must first stop the MySQL service. Enter your Linux password if prompted.
sudo /etc/init.d/mysql stopEnsure the directory /var/run/mysqld exists and correct owner set.
sudo mkdir /var/run/mysqldsudo chown mysql /var/run/mysqldNow start MySQL with the --skip-grant-tables option. The & is required here.
sudo mysqld_safe --skip-grant-tables&You should see something similar:
[1] 1283
[email protected]:~$ 2019-02-12T11:15:59.872516Z mysqld_safe Logging to syslog.
2019-02-12T11:15:59.879527Z mysqld_safe Logging to '/var/log/mysql/error.log'.
2019-02-12T11:15:59.922502Z mysqld_safe Starting mysqld daemon with databases from /var/lib/mysqlNow press ENTER to return to the Linux BASH prompt.
3. Change MySQL Root Password
You can now log in to the MySQL root account without a password.
sudo mysql --user=root mysqlOnce logged in, you will see the mysql> prompt.
MySQL 8 – Reset Root Password
For MySQL 8 on Ubuntu, run following commands.
UPDATE mysql.user SET authentication_string=null WHERE User='root';flush privileges;Replace your_password_here with your own. (Generate a strong password here)
ALTER USER 'root'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED WITH mysql_native_password BY 'your_password_here';Flush privileges again.
flush privileges;Exit MySQL.
exitNow skip to Step 4 below.
MySQL 5.7 – Reset Root Password
For MySQL 5.7 on Ubuntu, run this command to change the root password. Replace your_password_here with your own. (Generate a strong password here)
update user set authentication_string=PASSWORD('your_password_here') where user='root';Change the auth plugin to mysql_native_password.
update user set plugin="mysql_native_password" where User='root';Flush privileges.
flush privileges;Exit MySQL.
exitNow skip to Step 4 below.
MySQL 5.6 – Reset Root Password
For MySQL 5.6 on Ubuntu, run this command to change the root password. Replace your_password_here with your own. (Generate a strong password here)
update user set Password=PASSWORD('your_password_here') where user='root';Change the auth plugin to mysql_native_password.
update user set plugin="mysql_native_password" where User='root';Flush privileges.
flush privileges;Exit MySQL.
exitNow skip to Step 4 below.
4. Test New Root Password
Make sure all MySQL processes are stopped before starting the service again.
sudo killall -u mysqlIf you see a message similar to below, press ENTER to continue.
2020-05-30T07:23:38.547616Z mysqld_safe mysqld from pid file /var/lib/mysql/ubuntu.pid endedStart MySQL again.
sudo /etc/init.d/mysql startLog in to MySQL again and you should now be prompted for a password.
sudo mysql -p -u rootEnter your MySQL root password. If correct, you should see something like:
Welcome to the MySQL monitor. Commands end with ; or \g.
Your MySQL connection id is 8
Server version: 8.0.20-0ubuntu0.20.04.1 (Ubuntu)
Copyright (c) 2000, 2020, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its
affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective
owners.
Type 'help;' or '\h' for help. Type '\c' to clear the current input statement.
mysql>You’re all done!
4.87 (39 votes)Let me know if this helped. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, or đ buy me a smoothie.
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36 replies
Great! worked perfectly
thank you so much
This worked flawlessly, thank you, very helpful and easy to follow!
Thanks for very useful informations. It works.
Work for me
me ha servido muy bien !
THANKYOU VERY MUCH
I’m a newbie to all this and can’t count the # of hours and things i’ve tried to get my root password working (because it was never set at installation) with no success until now. I CAN’T THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR YOUR TIME & CONTRIBUTION AND HOPE YOU REALIZE HOW MUCH IT MEANS TO SOME OF US NEWBIES TO GET CORRECT AND WORKING INFO LIKE THIS.
Best explanation ever!
Thank you very much!
You just saved my life!
What about MySQL 8? It seems PASSWORD() is no longer supported.
mysql> update user set authentication_string=PASSWORD('my_password') where user='root';throws me an syntax error near (‘my_password’) …Thank you for letting me know.
This article has now been updated with instructions on resetting the root password for MySQL 8.
Awesome.
Spot on instructions….
Many Thanks!
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Thanks very much was block since 8hours
u saved my life thanks , u truly know what ur doing thanks , much appreciated
Thanks!
Thanks a lot!
mysql> update user set plugin=”mysql_native_password” where User=’root’;
Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.00 sec)
Rows matched: 0 Changed: 0 Warnings: 0
mysql> flush privileges;
Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.00 sec)
mysql> exit
Bye
[email protected]:/home/webserver# killall -u mysql
[email protected]:/home/webserver# 2020-03-16T08:43:49.778593Z mysqld_safe mysqld from pid file /var/lib/mysql/webserver.pid ended
/etc/init.d/mysql start
[ ok ] Starting mysql (via systemctl): mysql.service.
[1]+ Done mysqld_safe –skip-grant-tables
[email protected]:/home/webserver# sudo mysql -p -u root
Enter password:
ERROR 1045 (28000): Access denied for user ‘root’@’localhost’ (using password: YES)
[email protected]:/home/webserver# mysql -p -u root
Enter password:
ERROR 1045 (28000): Access denied for user ‘root’@’localhost’ (using password: NO)
[email protected]:/home/webserver#
Thank you it was really helpful
Thanks a ton, Buddy.
In step 2 i get
2019-12-29T22:46:28.239042Z mysqld_safe Logging to syslog.2019-12-29T22:46:28.242008Z mysqld_safe Logging to '/var/log/mysql/error.log'.
2019-12-29T22:46:28.258774Z mysqld_safe Starting mysqld daemon with databases from /var/lib/mysql
2019-12-29T22:46:32.136840Z mysqld_safe mysqld from pid file /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.pid ended
Then on running
sudo mysql --user=root mysqlERROR 2002 (HY000): Can’t connect to local MySQL server through socket ‘/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock’ (2)
thank you this helped me, mysql 5.7.27-0ubuntu.18.04.1 on ubuntu
You’re the best thank you đ
Found you through Google with “less than a month” filter, else there is some much crap lol
A very big thank you – after looking at several solutions, this is the most succinct and helpful answer; it solved all the ensuing issues after I forgot the root mysql pass.
i surf all web pages but none of them could help me but your pages helpme a lot …….
thanks !!!!!!
mysql> update user set plugin="mysql_native_password" where User='root';[email protected]:~# sudo mysql -p -u root
Enter password:
ERROR 1524 (HY000): Plugin ‘mysql_native_password’ is not loaded
The error is because mysql dont recongnize pluggin with ‘my passowrd name’?!
Muito obrigado.
Work like charm
Thank you! Very useful!
Thanks alot you are a saviour…
I was fighting a lot with this and you helped me solve it to the first!.
I Love You : )
Just perfect, thanks a lot!
Its works fine for me.
đ