Recover MySQL database root password

You can recover MySQL database server password with following five easy steps.

Step # 1: Stop the MySQL server process.

Step # 2: Start the MySQL (mysqld) server/daemon process with the –skip-grant-tables option so that it will not prompt for password

Step # 3: Connect to mysql server as the root user

Step # 4: Setup new root password

Step # 5: Exit and restart MySQL server

Here are commands you need to type for each step (login as the root user):

Step # 1 : Stop mysql service

# /etc/init.d/mysql stop

Stopping MySQL database server: mysqld.

Step # 2: Start to MySQL server w/o password

# mysqld_safe –skip-grant-tables &

[1] 5988

Starting mysqld daemon with databases from /var/lib/mysql

mysqld_safe[6025]: started

Step # 3: Connect to mysql server using mysql client

# mysql -u root

Output:Welcome to the MySQL monitor. Commands end with ; or \g.Your MySQL connection id is 1 to server version: 4.1.15-Debian_1-logType ‘help;’ or ‘\h’ for help. Type ‘\c’ to clear the buffer.

mysql>

Step # 4: Setup new MySQL root user password

mysql> use mysql;

mysql> update user set password=PASSWORD(”NEW-ROOT-PASSWORD“) where User=’root’;

mysql> flush privileges;

mysql> quit

Step # 5: Stop MySQL Server:

# /etc/init.d/mysql stop

Stopping MySQL database server: mysqld STOPPING server from pid file /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.pid
mysqld_safe[6186]: ended
.
[1]+ Done mysqld_safe –skip-grant-tables

Step # 6: Start MySQL server and test it

# /etc/init.d/mysql start

# mysql -u root -p