Do you want to know how to start, stop, and restart the MySQL server? Learn how you can do that on each operating system in this article.
MySQL on Mac
To start MySQL on Mac, you can use the command line. The commands you use depend on which version of MySQL you have: either before 5.7 or 5.7 and newer.
Version 5.7 came out in October 2015, so if you’ve downloaded it anytime in the last few years it’s most likely after 5.7.
Newer than 5.7
For MySQL version 5.7 and newer, open the Terminal and run the launchctl command.
Start MySQL server:
sudo launchctl load -F /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.oracle.oss.mysql.mysqld.plist
Stop MySQL server:
sudo launchctl unload -F /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.oracle.oss.mysql.mysqld.plist
Older than 5.7
If you’re running a version of MySQL older than 5.7, your commands are slightly different.
Start MySQL server:
sudo /usr/local/mysql/support-files/mysql.server start
Stop MySQL server:
sudo /usr/local/mysql/support-files/mysql.server stop
Restart MySQL server:
sudo /usr/local/mysql/support-files/mysql.server restart
MySQL on Windows
If you’re running MySQL on Windows, you can either use the Command Line or the Services section in the Control Panel.
Command Line
To start or stop MySQL on the Windows command line:
Open the Command Line by finding it in the Start menu or pressing the Windows key and searching for “command”.
Enter the following commands to start or stop MySQL:
Start MySQL server:
mysqld
If that command does not work, it’s because the folder that this tool is located is not in your Windows PATH environment variable. You can run MySQL using this command instead (substituting the 8.0 folder with the folder for the MySQL version you’re using):
"C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\bin\mysqld"
Stop MySQL server:
"C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\bin\mysqladmin" -u root shutdown
You should substitute the 8.0 folder with the folder for the MySQL version you’re using.
Services in Control Panel
Alternatively, you can use the Services section in Windows to start, stop, and restart MySQL server.
To do this:
- Press the Windows key to open the Start menu and allow searching.
- Type “services.msc”
- Press Enter, and the Services window will open.
- Search for the MySQL service
- Click Start, Stop, or Restart to perform the related action for MySQL.
MySQL on Linux
If you’re running MySQL on Linux, you can start, stop, or restart MySQL using the command line.
You can use one of several different commands to do this.
Start MySQL server:
/etc/init.d/mysqld start
Or
service mysqld start
Or
service mysql start
Stop MySQL server:
/etc/init.d/mysqld stop
Or
service mysqld stop
Or
service mysql stop
Restart MySQL server:
/etc/init.d/mysqld restart
Or
service mysqld restart
Or
service mysql restart
Conclusion
So there are a few different ways to start, stop, and restart MySQL on each operating system. They all support a command line method, and the commands are slightly different.