🔐 Reset MySQL or MariaDB Root Access Without Password on macOS (Homebrew)

reset-mysql-mariadb-root-macos.md

🔐 Reset MySQL or MariaDB Root Access Without Password on macOS (Homebrew)

📌 Problem

After installing MySQL or MariaDB via Homebrew on macOS, you might face:

• No root password set by default
• Forgotten root password
• Need for passwordless root@localhost access for development tools (Laravel, Sequel Ace, TablePlus, etc.)

Typical error:

ERROR 1045 (28000): Access denied for user 'root'@'localhost'

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✅ Goal

Enable passwordless access to root@localhost on MySQL/MariaDB installed via Homebrew on macOS.

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⚙️ Step-by-Step Fix

1. Create a Temporary Init SQL File

cat <<EOF > /tmp/init.sql
CREATE OR REPLACE USER 'root'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY '';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON *.* TO 'root'@'localhost' WITH GRANT OPTION;
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EOF

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2. Stop Any Running Database Services

# For MariaDB
brew services stop mariadb

# For MySQL
brew services stop mysql

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3. Start the Server with the Init Script

# For MariaDB
mariadbd --init-file=/tmp/init.sql --skip-networking --user=$(whoami)

# For MySQL
mysqld --init-file=/tmp/init.sql --skip-networking --user=$(whoami)

This bypasses login checks and runs the SQL commands directly.

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4. Kill the Temp Server After Init (If Needed)

# MariaDB
pkill mariadbd

# MySQL
pkill mysqld

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5. Start the Service Normally

# MariaDB
brew services start mariadb

# MySQL
brew services start mysql

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6. Access MySQL/MariaDB as Root

mysql -u root

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🧼 Cleanup

rm /tmp/init.sql

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⚠️ Notes

• Works only for localhost access.
• Make sure your DB is not publicly accessible without a password.
• Do not use in production without securing the root account.