Forgot MySQL root password

I you forgot your MySQL root password, you can recover MySQL database server password with following five easy steps.

• Stop the MySQL server process.
• Start the MySQL (mysqld) server/daemon process with the --skip-grant-tables option so that it will not prompt for password.
• Connect to mysql server as the root user.
• Setup new mysql root account password i.e. reset mysql password.
• Exit and restart the MySQL server.

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

• Stop mysql service

  #/etc/init.d/mysql stop
  Stopping MySQL database server: mysqld.

• Start to MySQL server without password:

  # mysqld_safe --skip-grant-tables &;
  [1] 5988
  
  Starting mysqld daemon with databases from /var/lib/mysql
  
  mysqld_safe[6025]: started

• Connect to mysql server using mysql client:

  # mysql -uroot
  Welcome to the MySQL monitor.  Commands end with ; or \g.
  
  Your MySQL connection id is 1 to server version: 4.1.15-Debian_1-log
  
  Type 'help;' or '\h' for help. Type '\c' to clear the buffer.
  
  mysql>

• 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

• 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

• Start MySQL server and test it

  # /etc/init.d/mysql start
  
  # mysql -u root -p