Changing the MySQL Root User Password in MAMP

Having recently changed my local testing server environment from XAMPP to MAMP v2.0.5 I wanted to change the password for the MySQL root user. By default it’s set to root.

Changing the MySQL password for the root user was straightforward enough, but locating and editing the files to reflect the new password was a different story. Failure to update all the necessary files results in MAMP reporting the following error:

/Applications/MAMP/Library/bin/mysqlcheck: Got error: 1045: Access denied for user 'root'@'localhost' (using password: YES) when trying to connect

Information on MAMP’s own site appeared incomplete and other documentation I found — while helpful — was for versions of MAMP prior to version 2.

These instructions are for changing a known password for the root user. If you’ve forgotten it please refer to Resetting MAMP’s MySQL Root User Password.

These instructions are for the free version of MAMP not MAMP Pro. They are applicable to MAMP versions 2.x, 3.x, 4.x and 5.x but be aware of the slight difference in the changes required.

For MAMP versions 2.x, 3.x, 4.x and 5.x

To change the MySQL password for root ensure that MAMP’s MySQL server is running then open Terminal and type the following, replacing NEWPASSWORD with the password of your choice:

Dummy Tab

Dummy Content

Code

/Applications/MAMP/Library/bin/mysqladmin -u root -p password NEWPASSWORD

You’ll be prompted for the current root password:

Enter password:CURRENTPASSWORD

Next, all the occurrences of the old password root need to be changed to the new password NEWPASSWORD in the following files. For files marked * an easy way to locate the old password is to search for the string -proot where -p is the password option and root is the old password.

File: /Applications/MAMP/bin/checkMysql.sh *

# /bin/sh
/Applications/MAMP/Library/bin/mysqlcheck --all-databases --check --check-upgrade -u root -pNEWPASSWORD --socket=/Applications/MAMP/tmp/mysql/mysql.sock

File: /Applications/MAMP/bin/quickCheckMysqlUpgrade.sh *

# /bin/sh
/Applications/MAMP/Library/bin/mysqlcheck --quick --check-upgrade -u root -pNEWPASSWORD --socket=/Applications/MAMP/tmp/mysql/mysql.sock mysql

File: /Applications/MAMP/bin/repairMysql.sh *

# /bin/sh
/Applications/MAMP/Library/bin/mysqlcheck --all-databases --repair -u root -pNEWPASSWORD --socket=/Applications/MAMP/tmp/mysql/mysql.sock

File: /Applications/MAMP/bin/stopMysql.sh *

# /bin/sh
/Applications/MAMP/Library/bin/mysqladmin -u root -pNEWPASSWORD --socket=/Applications/MAMP/tmp/mysql/mysql.sock shutdown

File: /Applications/MAMP/bin/upgradeMysql.sh *

# /bin/sh
/Applications/MAMP/Library/bin/mysql_upgrade -u root -pNEWPASSWORD --socket=/Applications/MAMP/tmp/mysql/mysql.sock --force

File: /Applications/MAMP/bin/phpMyAdmin/config.inc.php

$cfg['Servers'][$i]['user']             ='root';            // MySQL user
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['password']         ='NEWPASSWORD';     // MySQL password (only needed
                                                            // with 'config' auth_type)

As an alternative to updating these files manually I’ve written a simple Bash script that runs in Terminal and updates the files with the new password. Instructions can be found in the repository’s README.md file.

If you’re using MAMP 3.x, 4.x or 5.x stop and restart MAMP’s MySQL server to complete the password change. If you’re using MAMP 2.x continue reading for some additional changes.

For MAMP version 2.x only

File: /Applications/MAMP/bin/mamp/index.php

$port = '3306';
$link = @mysql_connect(':/Applications/MAMP/tmp/mysql/mysql.sock', 'root', 'NEWPASSWORD');

Finally, stop and restart MAMP’s MySQL server to complete the password change.

Purely for cosmetic purposes you may also want to update MAMP’s start page to reflect the changed password. This file does not exist in MAMP 3.x, 4.x or 5.x but for MAMP 2.x the English version of this file is /Applications/MAMP/bin/mamp/English/index.php:

						<table class="mysql">
							<tr>
								<th>Host</th>
								<td>localhost</td>
							</tr>
							<tr>
								<th>Port</th>
								<td>3306</td>
							</tr>
							<tr>
								<th>User</th>
								<td>root</td>
							</tr>
							<tr>
								<th>Password</th>
								<td>NEWPASSWORD</td>
							</tr>
						</table>
						<h3>Example:</h3>
						<pre>$link = mysql_connect('localhost', 'root', 'NEWPASSWORD');</pre>
						<p>or you can connect using an UNIX Socket:</p>
						<table class="mysql">
							<tr>
								<th>Socket</th>
								<td>/Applications/MAMP/tmp/mysql/mysql.sock</td>
							</tr>
							<tr>
								<th>User</th>
								<td>root</td>
							</tr>
							<tr>
								<th>Password</th>
								<td>NEWPASSWORD</td>
							</tr>
						</table>
						<h3>Example:</h3>
						<pre>
						$link = mysql_connect(
						  ':/Applications/MAMP/tmp/mysql/mysql.sock',
						  'root',
						  'NEWPASSWORD'
						);
						</pre>

Upgrading MAMP

When upgrading, the current MAMP folder in the /Applications directory is renamed MAMP_yyyy-mm-dd_hh-mm-ss before a new MAMP folder containing the upgrade is created. MAMP also has the foresight to retain the root user password, but unfortunately uses new versions of all the above files containing – once again – the root user password of root. This necessitates either updating the files again or copying the appropriate files from the MAMP_yyyy-mm-dd_hh-mm-ss folder.

Hi, Steve!

Your article outlines the only complete and straightforward procedure — to the letter — in all of the Web for changing MySQL ‘root’ password in MAMP, and I thank you for it.

The MAMP development team is rather cryptic on the subject, for obvious reasons. And who can blame them? We all have to make a living somehow.

Ironically, a flawless MAMP ‘proving ground’ is arguably the single most powerful sales pitch for MAMP Pro, with no fewer than four compelling reasons to purchase the upgrade:

1. Enhanced GUI configuration, including — you guessed it — changing MySQL ‘root’ password.
2. Unlimited virtual hosts, with additional support for older versions of PHP.
3. Out-of-the-box eMail functionality.
4. Support for dynDNS — great for collaboration and distance-review.

Most Web developers and designers want a hassle-free localhost environment with the broadest possible feature set — precisely the priced turf of MAMP Pro — that enables them to hone their craft. Sadly, anyone with no prior knowledge of the MAMP pedigree who stumbles on changing MySQL ‘root’ password in the free sibling foundation stack — through no fault of his or hers — is unlikely to commit to a $59 MAMP Pro upgrade and may even abandon the brand altogether. it’s hard to see how willful misdirection by documentation trickery can possibly help MAMP Pro sales.

In my case, the inability to successfully change MySQL ‘root’ password (following the developer’s ‘incomplete’ documentation) quickly mushroomed into outsized frustration which endlessly gnawed at me in sobering quandary, so much so that I came uncomfortably close to giving up on the MAMP brand altogether, eager to move on, perhaps conveniently dismissing the stack as unreliable, or inconsistent at best.

And then… Tech Otaku to the rescue!

I couldn’t be happier that I persisted in my quest for sanity until I found you. Thanks to you, I now have a fully operational MAMP. With the password-related database errors now behind me, I can finally see MAMP for the superior stack it truly is. Needless to say, my confidence in the brand also makes it a no-brainer to purchase MAMP Pro, if only to support continued development of the stack. One has to wonder how many would-be MAMP Pro prospects never make it this far.

Thanks again for this invaluable resource, and best wishes for continued success always!

Chima.

/Applications/MAMP/Library/bin/mysqld_safe --skip-grant-tables --skip-networking --port=8889 --socket=/Applications/MAMP/tmp/mysql/mysql.sock --lower_case_table_names=0 --pid-file=/Applications/MAMP/tmp/mysql/mysql.pid &

Cancel reply

60 Comments

vancouver says:

June 22, 2019 at 20:58

Dear Sir,

im using MAMP Version 4.2 and i have the same Issue , but the Problem is, that i dont find mysqladmin or mysqlcheck or mysql_upgrade etc. in the bin directory, they are all an exe file . Do you have any hints for me?

Thank you so much in advance

- Steve says:
  
  June 23, 2019 at 07:02
  
  Sounds like you’re using the Windows version of MAMP, but these instructions are for the Mac version. Unfortunately, I’ve no experience of using MAMP under Windows.
  
  Regards, Steve.
  
Si Barber says:

January 15, 2019 at 13:56

Many thanks. Very easy to understand and follow even for a complete novice. Hope Japan is treating you well. S

BP-lessening says:

September 24, 2018 at 05:58

Maaaaaaaaannnnn…my god thanks *so* much for this! I don’t understand, at all, why the documentation isn’t there for this. You’re a lifesaver, Steve! Muchos gracias.

Mark Hannon says:

January 14, 2018 at 16:28

I upgraded to MAMP version 4.2.1 and began to get an alert on launch “Checking the MySQL databases failed.” If I dismiss the alert everything seems to work fine. However I would like to fix MAMP so the alert doesn’t display anymore.

I did not change my password and when developing locally, using “root” keeps things simple so I would like to keep the default password as is.

My question is, will your above method allow me to reset the default password? In other words, I want to reset “root” to “root.”

- Steve says:
  
  January 14, 2018 at 19:12
  
  @Mark,
  
  Yes. You can change the root user password back to MAMP’s default root by following the same steps in this article. Take a look at Resetting MAMP’s MySQL Root User Password if you have any difficulty changing the root user password.
  
Vincent Lee says:

March 14, 2017 at 10:40

Thanks man. You’re a big help.
I had changed my MAMP/MySQL password from ‘root’ to ‘(blank)’ as I thought it would be handy while working on some college assignments as they had XAMPP settings for ‘localhost’ with ‘(no password)’.
I knew something was wrong when I saw a notice from MAMP that databases need to be updated (hello world of 7.0) but it failed to update the databases.
MySQL server was running fine, I can access MAMP’s MysQL from terminal too. MySQLWorkbench was working fine and it shows all my schemas/tables.

But, couldn’t open PHPMyAdmin from the MAMP start page though. DOH! I was going to use PHPMyAdmin to create some new Users because waaaay simpler than Workbench’s version (probably need a hard drink to understand that one).

Spent a couple of hours searching and came across this post.
Thanks again, from halfway around the world in Ireland.

John Prusinski says:

August 11, 2016 at 00:37

I spent hours looking for a solution to this issue, and trying all the strategies I could find without success… until I found this page. Thanks so much for the clear (and thorough!) explanation… it worked like a charm, and saved me from pulling my few remaining hairs out of my head.

Chima says:

May 7, 2016 at 19:41

Hi, Steve!

Your article outlines the only complete and straightforward procedure — to the letter — in all of the Web for changing MySQL ‘root’ password in MAMP, and I thank you for it.

The MAMP development team is rather cryptic on the subject, for obvious reasons. And who can blame them? We all have to make a living somehow.

Ironically, a flawless MAMP ‘proving ground’ is arguably the single most powerful sales pitch for MAMP Pro, with no fewer than four compelling reasons to purchase the upgrade:

1. Enhanced GUI configuration, including — you guessed it — changing MySQL ‘root’ password.
2. Unlimited virtual hosts, with additional support for older versions of PHP.
3. Out-of-the-box eMail functionality.
4. Support for dynDNS — great for collaboration and distance-review.

Most Web developers and designers want a hassle-free localhost environment with the broadest possible feature set — precisely the priced turf of MAMP Pro — that enables them to hone their craft. Sadly, anyone with no prior knowledge of the MAMP pedigree who stumbles on changing MySQL ‘root’ password in the free sibling foundation stack — through no fault of his or hers — is unlikely to commit to a $59 MAMP Pro upgrade and may even abandon the brand altogether. it’s hard to see how willful misdirection by documentation trickery can possibly help MAMP Pro sales.

In my case, the inability to successfully change MySQL ‘root’ password (following the developer’s ‘incomplete’ documentation) quickly mushroomed into outsized frustration which endlessly gnawed at me in sobering quandary, so much so that I came uncomfortably close to giving up on the MAMP brand altogether, eager to move on, perhaps conveniently dismissing the stack as unreliable, or inconsistent at best.

And then… Tech Otaku to the rescue!

I couldn’t be happier that I persisted in my quest for sanity until I found you. Thanks to you, I now have a fully operational MAMP. With the password-related database errors now behind me, I can finally see MAMP for the superior stack it truly is. Needless to say, my confidence in the brand also makes it a no-brainer to purchase MAMP Pro, if only to support continued development of the stack. One has to wonder how many would-be MAMP Pro prospects never make it this far.

Thanks again for this invaluable resource, and best wishes for continued success always!

Chima.

- Steve says:
  
  May 8, 2016 at 09:47
  
  @Chima,
  
  Thank you for your eloquent thoughts. I’m glad you found this post helpful. I’ve always considered the main reason to go Pro – as you mentioned – is being able to use virtual hosts, but that too can be achieved with the free version: Configuring Virtual Hosts in MAMP on Mac OS X
  
  Regards, Steve.
  
  - Chima says:
    
    May 10, 2016 at 10:25
    
    Oops!
    
    Looks like the link’s missing a URL, Steve.
    
dustyhope says:

March 22, 2016 at 03:30

I totally goofed up reinstalled MAMP and now nothing works. I have followed all your directions. changed the password in the terminal. then I change all the files to new password. when mamp comes up it says — /Applications/MAMP/Library/bin/mysqlcheck: Got error: 1045: Access denied for user ‘root’@’localhost’ (using password: YES) when trying to connect — still. the thing is I havent even files up to mysql – it wont let me in to do it!! any ideas! ahhhhh.

- dustyhope says:
  
  March 22, 2016 at 04:07
  
  I have change password. and have double checked all the files. where you say NEWPASSWORD – in changing all those files – I actually put in the newpassword, correct. now MAMP opens but says : Notice: Undefined index: password in /Applications/MAMP/bin/mamp/index.php on line 269
  
  ‘;
  $db = ‘inventory’;
  $host = ‘localhost’;
  $port = 3306;
  
  $link = mysql_connect(
  “$host:$port”,
  $user,
  $password
  );
  $db_selected = mysql_select_db(
  $db,
  $link
  );
  
  - dustyhope says:
    
    March 22, 2016 at 05:07
    
    I seem to have done it. though I am not sure how — but I got MAMP working again with wordpress and mysql. how can I double check using mac terminal that the mamp mysql password is indded changed ?? I just want to confirm its all gone thru — do you suggest I download mysql to my machine — too?
    
    - Steve says:
      
      March 23, 2016 at 07:33
      
      @dustyhope
      
      Sorry to hear you were having problems. You don’t need to download MySQL. If the green indicator is on in MAMP denoting the MySQL server is running and your WordPress install is able to access its MySQL database using the password set in WordPress’s wp_config.php file then I’d say it’s working OK.
      
      Regards, Steve.
      
Kabkee says:

December 9, 2015 at 15:16

That’s IT!!!!! Thank you so much.

Brad says:

March 26, 2015 at 01:32

Steve,

You’re the man! I … like an idiot changed my root user password and immediately forgot it. I have tried several other fixes without success. Your solution worked perfectly and I am good to go once again.

You sir, are bookmarked!

Thanks for the fix!
Brad

AR says:

February 27, 2015 at 15:54

i tried to disable the password for root but it will promt the error message, i tried to change the password by just deleting the old password and followed your instructions but it still doesnt work. can you help me with this? thank you

- Steve says:
  
  February 27, 2015 at 16:10
  
  @AR,
  
  I’ve not tried using MAMP without a password for the root user and I don’t know whether MAMP will allow this or not. I’d suggest resetting the root user password.
  
  Regards, Steve.
  
Arun says:

July 27, 2014 at 21:47

That worked! Thanks a lot buddy!

erik says:

April 23, 2014 at 02:08

Man, you are fantastic. You are the first and only that explained this stuff correctly. Got it working again.

Moni says:

March 18, 2014 at 23:13

Thank you so much for this! Your solution is the only one that worked for me. You’re completely brilliant.

Sergio Ianez says:

January 23, 2014 at 23:18

Thanks Steve! It was pretty helpful!

Michael Park says:

January 7, 2014 at 18:26

Excellent instructions, thank you for sharing Steve.

- Steve says:
  
  January 8, 2014 at 06:53
  
  You’re welcome Michael.
  
Zach Brown says:

January 2, 2014 at 02:50

Thanks Much! Was getting very frustrated with this, followed your guide and it worked like a charm!

RR says:

November 27, 2013 at 04:42

Thank you;-). it worked like a charm…

Jas Singh says:

November 15, 2013 at 02:47

Thank you !!!! It took some time to get my head around what I had done to then solve the problem. Your directions are simple and easy to understand, cheers (Y)

J.Singh

- bachiri says:
  
  November 18, 2013 at 02:21
  
  hii thanks for your help, i want to change my password from root to nothing please help because time to time i want to megrite my projet to windows os
  
  - Steve says:
    
    November 18, 2013 at 12:28
    
    @bachiri,
    
    Here are instructions on setting an empty root password. I don’t know how this will effect MAMP though as I’ve never tried it.
    
    Regards, Steve.
    
- Steve says:
  
  November 15, 2013 at 06:53
  
  @Jas,
  
  You’re welcome. Glad you got it working.
  
  Reagrds, Steve
  
JAS SINGH says:

November 14, 2013 at 12:54

Your guide looks exactly like what I’v been searching the web for, but there is one problem. When in terminal I am unable to type or paste a password :/ non of my keys input anything.

(I may be overlooking something as I am not familiar with using terminal or mysql)

Jas Singh.

- Steve says:
  
  November 14, 2013 at 15:51
  
  @JAS
  
  …When in terminal I am unable to type or paste a password :/ non of my keys input anything…
  
  Do you mean when you try to enter the NEWPASSWORD or the CURRENTPASSWORD? If it’s the latter, then this is expected. As you enter the CURRENTPASSWORD at the Enter password: prompt, the cursor will not move nor will any characters you type be displayed. If it’s the former, or both, I’ve not heard of that before.
  
  Regards, Steve
  
Bern Ruelas says:

November 12, 2013 at 06:51

Hi Steve,
Just need to say THANKS! This was a 6 hours quest to get back to my database.
Works like a charm. I had completely misread this statement above:
“Next, all the occurrences of the old password root need to be changed to the new password NEWPASSWORD in the following files. ”
Reading it now makes sense…however as a suggestion, if it had read:
“Edit all of the following files and change…” I would have gotten it immediately.

Thanks for the post!
Bern

- Steve says:
  
  November 12, 2013 at 08:49
  
  @Bern
  
  Glad you found it helpful. Have noted your suggestion. Thanks.
  
  Regards, Steve.
  
Paul says:

October 25, 2013 at 23:39

Steve, thanks a bunch for this. I had been trying to use similar instructions for MAMP 1.x but they didn’t have the instructions for the MAMP/bin/mamp/index.php file. You saved me! I’ll be sure to add this to my bookmarks for future reference!

- Steve says:
  
  October 26, 2013 at 06:23
  
  You’re welcome Paul.
  
Clotilde says:

September 3, 2013 at 22:24

Thank you so much!

I keep this page preciously in my favorites folder!!

Atanas says:

August 27, 2013 at 01:15

Thank you !

Waco says:

May 9, 2013 at 08:53

Thanks! You saved my day!

Ramki says:

April 28, 2013 at 15:23

Perfect, very very useful. Worked like a charm. Thanks!!

Ime Prezime says:

April 21, 2013 at 08:42

I did everything you specified, that is i changed every single file of the ones given above exactly how you said to change it.
I also did the killall mysqld and nothing changed. I restarded my server couple of times and I still get
Error: Could not connect to MySQL server!
The mamp gives me this error:
/Applications/MAMP/Library/bin/mysqlcheck: Got error: 1045: Access denied for user ‘root’@’localhost’ (using password: YES) when trying to connect

The only thing different from what you did is that i didn’t change the password using the terminal but i changed the user info in the users part of the phpmyadmin control panel and put a new password there. Now when i try to change password, when it asks for my current password neither root nor my CHANGEDPASSWORD word which is very confusing.
I really don’t know how to fix this since I changed every file you said and made sure multiple times.

- Steve says:
  
  April 21, 2013 at 10:50
  @Ime
  
  Sorry to hear you’re having problems. I have two suggestions.
  
  The first and simplest is to quit MAMP and drag the /Applications/MAMP folder to the Desktop and re-install MAMP. You’ll have a fresh install of MAMP and also the original MAMP files on the Desktop should you need to restore any files.
  
  The second is a little more involved and requires use of the Terminal, but allows you to reset the root password without the need for the current root password.
  
  First, quit MAMP or simply stop MAMP’s MySQL server running.
  
  Open Terminal and type (copy & paste):
```
/Applications/MAMP/Library/bin/mysqld_safe --skip-grant-tables --skip-networking --port=8889 --socket=/Applications/MAMP/tmp/mysql/mysql.sock --lower_case_table_names=0 --pid-file=/Applications/MAMP/tmp/mysql/mysql.pid &
```
  You’ll need to press the enter key twice.
  
  To use the MySQL command line type:
```
/Applications/MAMP/Library/bin/mysql
```
  You should see the MySQL command line prompt mysql>
  
  Type:
```
UPDATE mysql.user SET Password=PASSWORD('NewPassword') WHERE User='root';
```
  Press enter, then type:
```
FLUSH PRIVILEGES
```
  Press enter, then to quit the MySQL command line type \q:
  
  You should be returned to the Terminal prompt.
  
  Stop MySQL by typing:
```
 /Applications/MAMP/Library/bin/mysqladmin --socket=/Applications/MAMP/tmp/mysql/mysql.sock shutdown
```
  Regards, Steve
  - Peter says:
    
    December 6, 2013 at 01:32
    
    Steve, your solution is the only one on the Internet that worked for me. Thanks so much in helping out.
    
    - Steve says:
      
      December 6, 2013 at 16:08
      
      @Peter,
      
      Glad you found it helpful.
      
      Regards, Steve.
      
Ben says:

March 25, 2013 at 12:49

See the link above (subatrout.com) regarding changing the passwords in the scripts /Applications/MAMP/bin/*sh
This will get around startup errors.

sebastian says:

February 4, 2013 at 13:29

I’m !#*$%! noob on these! After all the steps, I get mysql working typing on terminal “killall -9 mysqld” thank you

Ben says:

December 14, 2012 at 13:25

Thanks so much for this — this worked perfectly!

Gregory Lee Newsome says:

November 5, 2012 at 04:03

Worked perfectly – thank you so much!

- Steve says:
  
  November 5, 2012 at 14:20
  
  You’re welcome Gregory.
  
DJ says:

July 30, 2012 at 22:45

Thanks! That worked perfectly!

- Steve says:
  
  July 31, 2012 at 07:21
  
  Glad you found it useful DJ.
  
  Regards, Steve.
  
tam says:

April 17, 2012 at 21:56

yay!! Just knowing it works suffices 🙂 I used killall mysqld from the terminal and then restarted. Awesome!! The only thing now is that the start page comes up blank but has the menu bar in place so I can still go in to the phpMYAdmin (although I did follow your instructions to change the pw for the start page). Gosh, I had broken MAMP a bizzilione times in the past. Your instructions are very clear and COMPLETE. I did it JUST once. Thanks much!!

- Steve says:
  
  April 17, 2012 at 22:23
  
  Glad you’ve got it working Tam.
  
  Regards, Steve.
  
tam says:

April 17, 2012 at 06:02

I followed the instructions precisely but I am now getting this message:

‘”Error: Could not connect to MySQL server!”

What could I have missed? Please help.

- Steve says:
  
  April 17, 2012 at 13:52
  
  Hi Tam,
  
  Difficult to know what to suggest: Is MAMP’s MySQL server starting? Do you get the error message when trying to open MAMP’s start page? Have you looked in /Applications/MAMP/logs/mysql_error_log.err for any tell-tale error messages? You may want to try issuing the command killall mysqld from Terminal which will terminate any errant MySQL processes running and then restarting MAMP’s servers.
  
  Regards, Steve.
  
subrat says:

March 21, 2012 at 11:45

Hi Steve,
Thanks for the article. It was really helpful. Just a quick question. Which WP plugin is used to write code snippets on the article?
Thanks

- Steve says:
  
  March 21, 2012 at 13:19
  
  I use the SyntaxHighlighter Evolved plugin though there are others that are similar.
  
  Regards, Steve.
  
Matt says:

March 9, 2012 at 05:26

Thanks for this! I keep breaking MAMP because I want to use something other than root/root for mySQL. Crazy how many places they hard code this!

- Steve says:
  
  March 9, 2012 at 07:12
  
  You’re welcome Matt.