How to Reset the Root Password in MySQL

Never get stuck again with no way to log into your MySQL database.

In a Unix shell:

/etc/init.d/mysql stop
mysqld_safe --skip-grant-tables &
mysql -u root

Then in the MySQL shell:

use mysql;
update user set password=PASSWORD("NEW-ROOT-PASSWORD") where User='root';
flush privileges;
quit

Then back in the Unix shell:

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