How to recover MySQL’s “root” password quickly

Have you ever been in a rush or just had a complete brain freeze with your MySQL passwords?

Well…..I have.  🙂

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Step # 1 : Stop mysql service

SHELL> /etc/init.d/mysql stop

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

SHELL> mysqld_safe --skip-grant-tables &

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Step # 3: Connect to mysql server using mysql client and setup the new root password:

SHELL> mysql -u root

mysql> use mysql;
mysql> update user set password=PASSWORD("$PASSWORD") where User='root';
mysql> flush privileges;
mysql> quit

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Step #4: Stop and Restart MySQL Server: (try your new $PASSWORD)

SHELL> /etc/init.d/mysql stop
SHELL> /etc/init.d/mysql start
SHELL> mysql -u root -p

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Note: There are other ways to reset the password, but I like this one.