How to Start and Stop MySQL on Windows

How It Works

On Windows, MySQL runs as a Windows service registered by the MySQL Installer. The default service name is MySQL80 for MySQL 8.0. You can manage it with PowerShell cmdlets, the net command, the Services MMC snap-in (services.msc), or the MySQL Notifier tray icon.

flowchart LR
    A[Windows Service Manager] --> B[MySQL80 service]
    B --> C[mysqld.exe process]
    C --> D[Port 3306 listening]
    D --> E[Accepts TCP connections]

Finding the MySQL Service Name

Open PowerShell and list MySQL-related services.

Get-Service -DisplayName "MySQL*"

Status   Name               DisplayName
------   ----               -----------
Running  MySQL80            MySQL80

The service name (e.g., MySQL80) is what you use in all management commands.

Method 1 - PowerShell (Recommended)

Run PowerShell as Administrator for service management commands.

# Start MySQL
Start-Service -Name MySQL80

# Stop MySQL
Stop-Service -Name MySQL80

# Restart MySQL
Restart-Service -Name MySQL80

# Check status
Get-Service -Name MySQL80

Output example:

Status   Name               DisplayName
------   ----               -----------
Running  MySQL80            MySQL80

Method 2 - net Commands (Command Prompt)

Open Command Prompt as Administrator.

# Start MySQL
net start MySQL80

# Stop MySQL
net stop MySQL80

Method 3 - Services Console (services.msc)

1. Press Win+R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
2. Scroll to find MySQL80.
3. Right-click and select Start, Stop, or Restart.

Method 4 - MySQL Notifier (Deprecated)

MySQL Notifier was a tray application previously bundled with MySQL Installer. It is no longer included in current MySQL 8.0+ Installer packages. If you have an older installation that includes it, the steps are:

1. Right-click the MySQL tray icon.
2. Hover over the service name (e.g., MySQL80).
3. Click Start, Stop, or Restart.

Configuring Automatic Startup

To ensure MySQL starts when Windows boots:

Set-Service -Name MySQL80 -StartupType Automatic

To prevent automatic startup:

Set-Service -Name MySQL80 -StartupType Manual

Check the current startup type:

Get-Service -Name MySQL80 | Select-Object Name, StartType

Verifying MySQL Is Running

After starting the service, confirm MySQL is accepting connections.

mysql -u root -p -e "SELECT 1;"

+---+
| 1 |
+---+
| 1 |
+---+

Check the port is listening.

netstat -an | findstr 3306

TCP    0.0.0.0:3306    0.0.0.0:0    LISTENING

Or with PowerShell:

Get-NetTCPConnection -LocalPort 3306

Viewing MySQL Service Logs on Windows

MySQL logs to a file in the data directory (set during installation). The default location is:

C:\ProgramData\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\Data\<hostname>.err

View the last 50 lines in PowerShell:

Get-Content "C:\ProgramData\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\Data\YOURHOST.err" -Tail 50

Follow the log in real time:

Get-Content "C:\ProgramData\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\Data\YOURHOST.err" -Wait -Tail 10

Starting MySQL Manually (Without the Service)

To start mysqld directly from the command line (useful for troubleshooting):

"C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\bin\mysqld.exe" --defaults-file="C:\ProgramData\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\my.ini" --console

Press Ctrl+C to stop.

Registering or Removing the Service

Register the service (if it was manually removed):

"C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\bin\mysqld.exe" --install MySQL80 --defaults-file="C:\ProgramData\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\my.ini"

Remove the service:

"C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\bin\mysqld.exe" --remove MySQL80

Summary

MySQL on Windows runs as a service named MySQL80 (or similar). Use PowerShell Start-Service, Stop-Service, and Restart-Service cmdlets, or the net start / net stop commands from an Administrator prompt. The Services console offers a graphical alternative. Configure Automatic startup type to ensure MySQL starts with Windows.