MySQL Connection Troubleshooting Guide for MacOS

Initial Problem Indicators

If you see this error when trying to connect to MySQL:

bashCopy

1
2
mysql -u root -p

ERROR 2002 (HY000): Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/tmp/mysql.sock' (2)

Step 1: Check MySQL Installation

Check if MySQL is installed via Homebrew:

bashCopy

1
brew list | grep mysql

Step 2: Clean Up Existing Services

Stop all running MySQL services:

1
brew services stop mysql<br>brew services stop mysql@8.0


sudo pkill mysqld

Step 3: Fix Permissions

Reset ownership and permissions of MySQL directory:

1
sudo chown -R $(whoami) /opt/homebrew/var/mysql<br>sudo chmod -R 755 /opt/homebrew/var/mysql


sudo chown -R $(whoami):admin /opt/homebrew/var/mysql
sudo chown -R $(whoami):admin /opt/homebrew/Cellar/mysql@8.0

Step 4: Remove Launch Agent Files

Clean up old launch agent files:

1
rm ~/Library/LaunchAgents/homebrew.mxcl.mysql@8.0.plist<br>sudo rm /Library/LaunchDaemons/homebrew.mxcl.mysql@8.0.plist

Step 5: Reset MySQL Links

Unlink and relink MySQL:

1
brew unlink mysql<br>brew unlink mysql@8.0<br>brew link mysql@8.0 --force



# The last step will gave an export to add, add that as well => echo 'export PATH="/opt/homebrew/opt/mysql@8.0/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc

Step 6: Start MySQL Service

Start MySQL as a regular user (not root):

1
brew services start mysql@8.0

Verification

After completing these steps, verify the connection:

1
mysql -u root -p

Note: Keep track of your MySQL root password. If you’ve just installed MySQL, the initial root password might be empty.