GUI tools exist that perform most of the tasks described in this section, including:

If necessary, initialize the data directory and create the MySQL grant tables. Windows installation operations performed by MySQL Configurator can initialize the data directory automatically. For installation from a ZIP Archive package, initialize the data directory as described at Section 2.9.1, “Initializing the Data Directory”.

Regarding passwords, if you configured MySQL using the MySQL Configurator, you may have already assigned a password to the initial root account. (See Section 2.3.2, “Configuration: Using MySQL Configurator”.) Otherwise, use the password-assignment procedure given in Section 2.9.4, “Securing the Initial MySQL Account”.

Before assigning a password, you might want to try running some client programs to make sure that you can connect to the server and that it is operating properly. Make sure that the server is running (see Section 2.3.3.5, “Starting the Server for the First Time”). You can also set up a MySQL service that runs automatically when Windows starts (see Section 2.3.3.8, “Starting MySQL as a Windows Service”).

These instructions assume that your current location is the MySQL installation directory and that it has a bin subdirectory containing the MySQL programs used here. If that is not true, adjust the command path names accordingly.

If you installed MySQL using the MSI, the default installation directory is C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.4:

C:\> cd "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.4"

A common installation location for installation from a ZIP archive is C:\mysql:

C:\> cd C:\mysql

Alternatively, add the bin directory to your PATH environment variable setting. That enables your command interpreter to find MySQL programs properly, so that you can run a program by typing only its name, not its path name. See Section 2.3.3.7, “Customizing the PATH for MySQL Tools”.

With the server running, issue the following commands to verify that you can retrieve information from the server. The output should be similar to that shown here.

Use mysqlshow to see what databases exist:

C:\> bin\mysqlshow
+--------------------+
|     Databases      |
+--------------------+
| information_schema |
| mysql              |
| performance_schema |
| sys                |
+--------------------+

The list of installed databases may vary, but always includes at least mysql and information_schema.

The preceding command (and commands for other MySQL programs such as mysql) may not work if the correct MySQL account does not exist. For example, the program may fail with an error, or you may not be able to view all databases. If you configured MySQL using MySQL Configurator, the root user is created automatically with the password you supplied. In this case, you should use the -u root and -p options. (You must use those options if you have already secured the initial MySQL accounts.) With -p, the client program prompts for the root password. For example:

C:\> bin\mysqlshow -u root -p
Enter password: (enter root password here)
+--------------------+
|     Databases      |
+--------------------+
| information_schema |
| mysql              |
| performance_schema |
| sys                |
+--------------------+

If you specify a database name, mysqlshow displays a list of the tables within the database:

C:\> bin\mysqlshow mysql
Database: mysql
+---------------------------+
|          Tables           |
+---------------------------+
| columns_priv              |
| component                 |
| db                        |
| default_roles             |
| engine_cost               |
| func                      |
| general_log               |
| global_grants             |
| gtid_executed             |
| help_category             |
| help_keyword              |
| help_relation             |
| help_topic                |
| innodb_index_stats        |
| innodb_table_stats        |
| ndb_binlog_index          |
| password_history          |
| plugin                    |
| procs_priv                |
| proxies_priv              |
| role_edges                |
| server_cost               |
| servers                   |
| slave_master_info         |
| slave_relay_log_info      |
| slave_worker_info         |
| slow_log                  |
| tables_priv               |
| time_zone                 |
| time_zone_leap_second     |
| time_zone_name            |
| time_zone_transition      |
| time_zone_transition_type |
| user                      |
+---------------------------+

Use the mysql program to select information from a table in the mysql database:

C:\> bin\mysql -e "SELECT User, Host, plugin FROM mysql.user" mysql
+------+-----------+-----------------------+
| User | Host      | plugin                |
+------+-----------+-----------------------+
| root | localhost | caching_sha2_password |
+------+-----------+-----------------------+

For more information about mysql and mysqlshow, see Section 6.5.1, “mysql — The MySQL Command-Line Client”, and Section 6.5.6, “mysqlshow — Display Database, Table, and Column Information”.