How to install MySQL on Mac

Option 1: Homebrew

1. Install Homebrew from brew.sh if needed.

2. Install and start MySQL:

   brew install mysql
   brew services start mysql

3. Set a root password and remove test defaults:

   mysql_secure_installation

4. Connect:

   mysql -u root -p

Want MariaDB instead? Run brew install mariadb and brew services start mariadb. Don’t run both on port 3306 at once.

Option 2: Oracle’s installer

1. Download the macOS DMG for your chip (ARM for Apple silicon, x86 for Intel) from dev.mysql.com.
2. Run the installer. It asks you to set the root password.
3. Start and stop the server from the MySQL pane in System Settings.

Create a database and a user

CREATE DATABASE myapp;
CREATE USER 'myapp'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'choose-a-password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON myapp.* TO 'myapp'@'localhost';

If a GUI client later gets “Access denied” for this user over 127.0.0.1, create the same user for 'myapp'@'127.0.0.1' and grant it the same privileges.

Open it in a GUI

In Gadwal, add a MySQL connection with host 127.0.0.1, port 3306, and your user and password. Use 127.0.0.1 rather than a socket: App Store apps are sandboxed and can’t use Unix sockets. MySQL 8’s default caching_sha2_password login works over plain TCP and TLS.

Stop or remove

brew services stop mysql
brew uninstall mysql

Data stays in /opt/homebrew/var/mysql until you delete it.