When you first open MySQL Workbench, you’ll see the home screen with connection tiles.

Using an Existing Connection

  1. Look for a tile labelled “Local instance MySQL” (or similar)
  2. Click on this tile
  3. Enter your password:
    • Either the root password you set during installation
    • Or the username and password of a user you created
  4. Click OK
  5. You’re now connected - the SQL editor window will open

Creating a New Connection

If you don’t see a connection tile, or need to create a new one:

  1. Click the + button next to “MySQL Connections”
  2. In the Setup New Connection window:
    • Connection Name: Give it a name (e.g., “Local MySQL”)
    • Hostname: Leave as 127.0.0.1 (or localhost)
    • Port: Leave as 3306
    • Username: Enter root or the username you created during installation
    • Password: Click “Store in Vault” and enter your password
  3. Click “Test Connection” to check it works
  4. Click OK to save the connection
  5. Click on your new connection tile to connect

Once Connected

You’ll see:

  • Schemas panel on the left (your databases)
  • Query editor in the centre (where you write SQL)
  • Output panel at the bottom (query results and messages)

You can now start creating databases and running SQL queries in the query editor.

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