Installing MySQL on Microsoft Windows

MySQL installation on Windows is much, much easier than it used to be thanks to fully automated installers

Installing MySQL on Windows

Default installation on any version of Windows is now much easier than it used to be, as MySQL now comes neatly packaged with a native Windows installer. Simply download the installer package, usually an msi, and run it. This will walk you through the trivial process and by default will install everything under C:\Program Files\MySQL, which is probably as good a place as any. The MySQL installer will attempt to install itself as a service, which means you need Administrator rights on the computer upon which MySQL is being installed. Part of the installation process will configure the MySQL server. During this portion of the installation, you can configure things like the root password, the port on which MySQL will listen, and whether to include the MySQL utilities in the Windows path (I recommend that you do so). The Windows install is now so simplified that for most cases you can simply click “Next” to continue and, where you have an exception, refer to the online manual for MySQL at www.mysql.com.