In this blog post, we will show you how to reset the MySQL root Password on a Linux operating system. Resetting the MySQL root password is crucial for security, preventing unauthorized access, data theft, or data destruction, especially since default installations often have no password. It’s also essential for recovery if the password is lost or forgotten, allowing you to regain control and manage your database server effectively. Additionally, we’ll cover how to reset your root password across different Linux distributions and MySQL versions.
Resetting MySQL Root Password is a straightforward process that may take a couple of minutes. Let’s get things done!
Table of Contents
Prerequisites
- A Linux VPS distribution
- User privileges: root or non-root user with sudo privileges
Step 1. Stop the MySQL database server
Stopping the MySQL database service differs between Ubuntu and Debian, and between CentOS and AlmaLinux. Let’s see the differences:
NEWER OS Distributions #Ubuntu and Debian sudo systemctl stop mysql #CentOS and AlmaLinux sudo systemctl stop mysqld ---------------------------- OLDER OS Distributions #Ubuntu and Debian sudo /etc/init.d/mysql stop #CentOS and AlmaLinux sudo /etc/init.d/mysqld stop
As you can see, the difference is in the syntax, and depending on your OS and whether it is an older or newer distribution, that command should be used.
Step 2. Start the MySQL server with the “skip-grant-tables” option
This option disables the permission system, allowing anyone to connect without a password. It should only be used for recovery in a secure, local environment. First, we have to create the /var/run/mysqld/ directory with the correct permissions:
mkdir /var/run/mysqld chown -R mysql:mysql /var/run/mysqld/
Since we already stopped the MySQL service using the commands from the previous step, we can start MySQL in safe mode:
mysqld_safe --skip-grant-tables &
This will disable the MySQL authentication and & run the process in the background.
Step 3. Log in to MySQL as the root user
Now, we can log in to MySQL without a root password:
#NEWER OS distribution, no matter Ubuntu-based or CentOS-based
mysql -u root -p
OR
mysql
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#OLDER OS distribution, no matter Ubuntu-based or CentOS-based
mysql -u root mysql
Step 4. Reset MySQL password
To reset the MySQL root password, we can use the following commands, depending on whether we have a newer or older MySQL version:
#NEWER MySQL versions, no matter Ubuntu-based or CentOS-based
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
ALTER USER 'root'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'YourNewStrongMySQLRootPassword';
EXIT;
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#OLDER MySQL versions, no matter Ubuntu-based or CentOS-based
UPDATE user SET Password=PASSWORD('YourNewStrongMySQLRootPassword') WHERE User='root';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;
Step 5. Start the MySQL service
After the password has been reset, start the MySQL server in normal mode:
NEWER OS Distributions
sudo pkill -9 mysql #First kill all mysql processes
#Ubuntu and Debian
sudo systemctl start mysql
#CentOS and AlmaLinux
sudo systemctl start mysqld
----------------------------
OLDER OS Distributions
#Ubuntu and Debian
sudo /etc/init.d/mysql start
#CentOS and AlmaLinux
sudo /etc/init.d/mysqld start
Now you can connect to MySQL as a root user using the new password.
Type “mysql -u root -p” in the terminal, and enter the new password you set in Step 4 when prompted.
Conclusion
That’s it all! You have learned how to reset the MySQL root password across all Linux distributions and for different MySQL versions.
To make this more straightforward, please take a look at the Linux OS distributions and MySQL versions:
#Newer MySQL versions MySQL 8.0 MySQL 9.0 #Older MySQL versions MyQSL 5.7 MySQL 5.6 #Newer Linux OS distributions Ubuntu 24.04 Ubuntu 22.04 Ubuntu 20.04 Ubuntu 18.04 Debian 13 Debian 12 Debian 11 CentOS 7 AlmaLinux 10 AlmaLinux 9 AlmaLinux 8 #Older Linux OS distributions Ubuntu 16.04 Ubuntu 14.04 Ubuntu 12.04 Debian 10 Debian 9 Debian 8 Debian 7 CentOS 6
If you are one of our customers, you don’t have to follow this tutorial and reset the MySQL root password yourself. Our experienced Linux admins will do that for you. They are available 24×7 and will address your request immediately. Submit a ticket.
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