Recover MySQL root password

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

1: Stop the MySQL server process.

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

3: Connect to mysql server as the root user

4: Setup new root password

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

Output:

Stopping MySQL database server: mysqld.

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

# mysqld_safe --skip-grant-tables &

Output:

[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-log

Type 'help;' or '\h' for help. Type '\c' to clear the buffer.

mysql>

Step 4: Setup new MySQL 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

Output:

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