Introduction: The server must be running to use it, which is usually done automatically. Requirements: MySQL server was installed Procedure: Opening Services on Windows versions after Win XP: Start task manager / Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc / Right click Start menu bar Select the Services menu option Click Services on the bottom right corner Opening Services on Win XP: Click Start menu Right click “My Computer” Click “Manage” Click “Services and Applications” Click “Services” Starting the Service: Locate your MySQL service Right click the services Click “Start” To start the server from the command line: Navigate to the MySQL ‘bin’ directory, such as by typing: cd "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.6\bin" Then, type: mysqld to start the server. This starts the daemon, which is a background process.