How to Install MySQL on Windows (Community Server + Workbench)

MySQL download: which package you need in 2026

The official MySQL Community download pages are at dev.mysql.com/downloads. MySQL Community Server is free to download; MySQL Enterprise Edition is a separate commercial product, which this guide does not cover.

On the MySQL Community Server page, Select Version lists 26.7.0, 9.7.2 LTS, 8.4.11 LTS and 8.0.46, and Select Operating System offers Microsoft Windows. The Windows packages are a Windows (x86, 64-bit), MSI Installer, a ZIP archive, and a larger ZIP of debug binaries and the test suite you do not need. The Reference Manual states that MySQL is available for 64-bit Windows only and that the server needs the Microsoft Visual C++ 2019 Redistributable installed first.

What happened to MySQL Installer

Older guides start with a mysql-installer-community file that installs the server, Workbench, Shell and connectors in one go. The MySQL Installer download page now carries this note: MySQL 8.0 is the final series with MySQL Installer, and from MySQL 8.1 you use a MySQL product's MSI or Zip archive, with MySQL Server 8.1 and later bundling MySQL Configurator. The page still offers MySQL Installer 8.0.46, but only for the 8.0 series. The MySQL Workbench manual still describes MySQL Installer as the recommended route; for Workbench 26.7 use the standalone MSI instead.

Install MySQL Community Server with the MSI

The Reference Manual calls the MSI the simplest and recommended method:

1. Install the Microsoft Visual C++ 2019 Redistributable from the Microsoft Download Center if it is not already present.
2. On the MySQL Community Server download page, select your version (for example 9.7.2 LTS) and Microsoft Windows, then download the MSI Installer. You can verify it with the MD5 checksum and GnuPG signature shown beside the link.
3. Run the MSI. It installs the server and MySQL Configurator and adds a MySQL group to the Windows Start menu. The default folder is C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 9.7; the Custom setup type lets you choose another location.
4. When the MSI finishes, it offers to run MySQL Configurator. Run it straight away: the manual notes the server will not start until it is configured.

For scripted installs the manual documents standard msiexec options, run as Administrator:

msiexec /i "C:\mysql\mysql-9.7.2-winx64.msi" /qn /lv "C:\mysql\install.log"

Configure MySQL with MySQL Configurator (root password, port, service)

MySQL Configurator replaces the configuration screens that used to live inside MySQL Installer. You can also start it later from the Start menu, or run mysql-configurator.exe from the server's bin folder, to reconfigure the server. As documented, the steps are:

1. Type and Networking. Choose a Server Configuration Type: Development (your own workstation, least memory) suits learning. TCP/IP is selected by default with the classic port 3306 and the X Protocol port 33060, and Open Windows Firewall port for network access is ticked. If a port is already in use, Next stays disabled until you choose another.
2. Accounts and Roles. Set the root account password; this is required, and you will need it again to reconfigure. You can optionally add other MySQL user accounts with predefined roles such as DB Admin.
3. Windows Service. Configure MySQL server as a Windows service is selected by default, with the service set to start at system startup and run as the Standard System Account. Note the Windows Service Name; you need it to start or stop the server from the command line.
4. Server File Permissions. By default only the service account and the Administrators group get access to the data folder under C:\ProgramData\MySQL.
5. Sample Databases. Optionally install the sakila and world sample databases, which are useful practice data.
6. Apply Configuration. Choose Execute and watch each step turn green; the Log tab shows details if one fails.

The Configurator writes the settings to my.ini. Logging and advanced options such as the server ID only appear if you tick Show Advanced and Logging Options on the first screen.

MySQL command line client: PATH and first connection

The mysql command line client is in the server's bin folder. To run it from any prompt, the manual describes adding the folder to the system Path variable through System Properties, Advanced, Environment Variables, for example C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 9.7\bin. It warns you to edit PATH carefully, and not to add the folder if you run several MySQL servers on one machine. Open a new prompt afterwards.

From a new prompt, connect as root and enter the password you set in the Configurator when asked. Once you have set a root password, the manual notes that client programs need the matching -u and -p options:

mysql -u root -p
mysqladmin -u root -p version

NET START mysqld_service_name
NET STOP mysqld_service_name

Install MySQL Workbench and create your first schema

MySQL Workbench is a separate download at dev.mysql.com/downloads/workbench; the current release is 26.7.0, offered as a Windows (x86, 64-bit) MSI and a ZIP archive. The Workbench manual lists the Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable and .NET Framework 4.5.2 as prerequisites, says the MSI needs Administrator or Power User privileges, and recommends the Complete setup type. For platform details and the macOS and Linux packages, see the MySQL Workbench install guide.

Once Workbench is connected to your local server as root, you can run SQL in its editor exactly as in the command line client. In MySQL a schema and a database are the same thing, so creating your first schema is a CREATE DATABASE statement. The manual's tutorial uses a database called menagerie:

CREATE DATABASE menagerie;
USE menagerie;
SELECT DATABASE();

CREATE TABLE pet (name VARCHAR(20), owner VARCHAR(20),
       species VARCHAR(20), sex CHAR(1), birth DATE, death DATE);
SHOW TABLES;

Lettercase on Windows

The manual notes that database and table names are case-sensitive on Unix but not on Windows, and recommends always using the same lettercase you used when creating them. MySQL Configurator sets lower_case_table_names to 1 by default on Windows, so names are stored in lowercase. Keeping names lowercase from the start avoids surprises if you later move a database to a Linux server.

Common MySQL install errors on Windows

The manual's first troubleshooting step is the error log in the data directory, and it suggests starting the service with NET START from a command prompt to see startup messages. Reinstalling without first stopping and removing the old MySQL service is another documented cause of failures; stop it and run SC DELETE with the old service name before installing again.

MariaDB note and next steps

MariaDB is a separate open source database with its own Windows MSI from mariadb.org/download, whose default service name is MariaDB. MySQL Configurator and MySQL Workbench are MySQL products, so check MariaDB's own documentation rather than assuming they apply. See MariaDB vs MySQL before choosing.

With MySQL running, continue with the SQL beginner course and the SQL exercises, or compare engines in MySQL vs PostgreSQL. Oracle also documents Docker images for MySQL, but notes they are built for Linux and other platforms are unsupported; see the related MySQL in Docker guide below.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• MySQL Community Downloads: MySQL Community Server
• MySQL Community Downloads: MySQL Installer
• MySQL Community Downloads: MySQL Workbench
• MySQL 9.7 Reference Manual: Installing MySQL on Microsoft Windows
• MySQL 9.7 Reference Manual: Choosing an Installation Package
• MySQL 9.7 Reference Manual: Configuration Using MySQL Configurator
• MySQL 9.7 Reference Manual: MySQL Server Configuration with MySQL Configurator
• MySQL 9.7 Reference Manual: Customizing the PATH for MySQL Tools
• MySQL 9.7 Reference Manual: Starting MySQL as a Windows Service
• MySQL 9.7 Reference Manual: Testing the MySQL Installation
• MySQL 9.7 Reference Manual: Troubleshooting a Windows installation
• MySQL 9.7 Reference Manual: Can't connect to MySQL server
• MySQL 9.7 Reference Manual: Creating and Selecting a Database
• MySQL 9.7 Reference Manual: Creating a Table
• MySQL 9.7 Reference Manual: MySQL Releases, Innovation and LTS
• MySQL Workbench Manual: Installing on Windows
• MySQL Workbench Manual: System Requirements
• MariaDB Foundation: Download MariaDB Server
• MariaDB documentation: Installing MariaDB MSI packages on Windows

Checked 8 October 2026.

How we research guides: our editorial method. We link only to official downloads and never host installers.