MySQL - Root Password Reset

To reset the MySQL root password, we need to start MySQL in safe mode. Type in the console:

sudo service mysqld stop
sudo mysqld_safe --skip-grant-tables &
mysql -u root mysql

Then you'll be on the MySQL prompt where you should define the new password:

UPDATE user SET password=PASSWORD("abcd") WHERE user="root";
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
exit

After this you should have dropped to the Linux console again, where you need to restart the service to enable the grant tables again:

sudo killall mysqld_safe
ps ax | grep mysqld # Is it gone?
sudo service mysqld start
mysql -u root -p mysql

Notes

Tested on:

• Gentoo Linux
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5/6/7