Use the following steps to reset a MySQL root password by using the command line interface.
Stop the MySQL service
(Ubuntu and Debian) Run the following command:
sudo /etc/init.d/mysql stop
(CentOS, Fedora, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux) Run the following command:
sudo /etc/init.d/mysqld stop
Start MySQL without a password
Run the following command. The ampersand (&) at the end of the command is required.
sudo mysqld_safe --skip-grant-tables &
Connect to MySQL
Run the following command:
mysql -uroot
Set a new MySQL root password
Run the following command:
use mysql;
update user set password=PASSWORD("mynewpassword") where User='root';
flush privileges;
quit
Stop and start the MySQL service
(Ubuntu and Debian) Run the following commands:
sudo /etc/init.d/mysql stop ... sudo /etc/init.d/mysql start
(CentOS, Fedora, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux) Run the following commands:
sudo /etc/init.d/mysqld stop ... sudo /etc/init.d/mysqld start
Log in to the database
Test the new password by logging in to the database.
mysql -u root -p
You are prompted for your new password.
