Set / Change / Reset MySQL, MariaDB root password on Ubuntu Linux 14.10 Server

Tested on

• Ubuntu Linux 14.10 Utopic Unicorn and MariaDB 5.5.41 (2015-03-08)
• Ubuntu Linux 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon and MySQL 5.0.45. (2007-10-21)
• Ubuntu Linux 6.06 Dapper Drake and MySQL 4.1.15.

Set / change / reset the...

•  MySQL
•  MariaDB 

root password on Ubuntu Linux. Enter the following lines in your terminal. 

Stop the MySQL Server. 

• sudo /etc/init.d/mysql stop

Start the mysqld configuration.

• sudo mysqld --skip-grant-tables &

Login to MySQL as root.

• mysql -u root mysql

Replace YOURNEWPASSWORD with your new password!

• UPDATE user SET Password=PASSWORD('YOURNEWPASSWORD') WHERE User='root'; FLUSH PRIVILEGES; exit;

Note: This method is not regarded as the securest way of resetting the password. However it works.