MySQL Workbench: Download, Setup & How to Connect

This is a working reference on MySQL Workbench — the same material our MySQL support team hands to new administrators. It covers where to download Workbench, which platforms are supported, how to set up a first connection, the main feature areas, SSH-tunneled remote connections, and the connection errors that come up most often.

What is MySQL Workbench

MySQL Workbench is Oracle's official graphical client for MySQL. It combines a SQL editor, visual database design (ER modeling with forward and reverse engineering), server administration, user management, performance dashboards, and a database migration wizard in one desktop application. The Community edition is free under the GPL; commercial editions add enterprise-feature GUIs and are bundled with paid MySQL subscriptions. The product page is at mysql.com/products/workbench.

Workbench is a client, not a server. It connects to an existing MySQL server — local or remote — over TCP port 3306 by default. Installing Workbench does not install MySQL Server; on Windows both can be installed together through MySQL Installer, but they remain separate components.

Download and supported platforms

The current release is MySQL Workbench 8.0.47 (April 2026), available from the official download page at dev.mysql.com/downloads/workbench. Downloads are offered for:

Exact supported OS versions for each release are listed on the supported platforms page. Release-by-release changes are in the Workbench release notes. If you need the server itself rather than the client, download paths for MySQL Server are covered in our MySQL download guide.

Install notes per OS

• Windows: run the MSI. If launch fails with a missing DLL error, install the Visual C++ 2019 redistributable first. Workbench can also be selected inside MySQL Installer alongside the server.
• Ubuntu/Debian: install the downloaded DEB with sudo apt install ./mysql-workbench-community_8.0.47-1ubuntu24.04_amd64.deb so apt resolves dependencies, or add the MySQL APT repository and install from there.
• RHEL/Oracle Linux: install the RPM via the MySQL Yum repository; the EPEL repository must not shadow it with an older community build.
• macOS: open the DMG and drag MySQL Workbench to Applications. On first launch, approve the app under Privacy & Security if Gatekeeper blocks it.

First connection setup

Connections are created once and saved on the home screen. To add one:

1. Click the + icon next to MySQL Connections on the home screen.
2. Enter a connection name. This is a label only.
3. Set Hostname — 127.0.0.1 for a local server, an IP or DNS name for a remote one — and Port, which is 3306 unless the server was configured otherwise.
4. Enter the MySQL Username. Click Store in Vault (Windows/macOS) or Store in Keychain to save the password.
5. On the SSL tab, leave SSL at the default (If available) for local servers. For remote servers that enforce encryption, set Use SSL to Require and supply CA/client certificates if the server demands them.
6. Click Test Connection. A success dialog confirms credentials, network path, and SSL negotiation in one step.
7. Click OK. The saved tile appears on the home screen; double-click it to open a SQL editor session.

The full connection reference, including advanced options and socket/pipe connections, is in the Workbench connections manual.

Feature tour

Remote connections over SSH tunnel

Most production servers do not expose port 3306 to the internet. Workbench can tunnel through SSH natively — no separate tunnel process needed:

1. Create a new connection and set Connection Method to Standard TCP/IP over SSH.
2. Set SSH Hostname to the server's public address (append the port if SSH is not on 22, for example 203.0.113.10:2222) and SSH Username to your shell account.
3. Point SSH Key File at your private key, or store the SSH password in the vault.
4. Set MySQL Hostname to 127.0.0.1 and port 3306 — this is resolved from the remote host's side of the tunnel, so it refers to MySQL as the SSH server sees it.
5. Enter the MySQL username and password as usual, then Test Connection.

The MySQL account still needs privileges for the host it appears to connect from — with a tunnel that is usually localhost on the server itself.

Common connection errors

• Can't connect to MySQL server (error 2003 / OS error 10061): nothing is listening at the target host and port. The server is stopped, bound to a different port, bound only to localhost while you connect remotely, or a firewall drops 3306. Confirm the server is running and check the bind-address setting.
• Access denied for user (error 1045): the credentials reached the server and were rejected. Wrong password, wrong username, or the account does not permit logins from your source host — MySQL accounts are user@host pairs, so a user defined only for localhost cannot log in from a remote IP.
• SSL connection error / SSL is required: the server enforces encrypted connections but the client-side SSL setting is No or the certificates fail validation. Set Use SSL to Require on the SSL tab, and supply the CA file if the server uses a private CA.
• Authentication plugin errors against MySQL 9.x servers: MySQL 9.0 removed the old mysql_native_password plugin, and early Workbench 8.0 builds predate the 9.x series. Accounts still defined with the removed plugin fail to authenticate regardless of client; recreate them with caching_sha2_password, and keep Workbench on the latest 8.0.x release when connecting to 9.x servers. Server-side removal details are in the MySQL 9 upgrade notes.
• Connection times out mid-session: raise the DBMS connection read timeout under Edit > Preferences > SQL Editor if long queries are being cut off at the default 30 seconds.

Alternatives

For browser-based administration on shared hosting, phpMyAdmin covers the same ground without a desktop install; for scripting and automation, the mysql command-line client remains the baseline tool.

When the GUI is not the fix

Workbench diagnoses client-side problems well, but slow queries, replication lag, crashed InnoDB tablespaces, and capacity limits are server-side work. Those fall under MySQL database server support — tuning, upgrades, backup validation, and ongoing administration for production instances.

FAQ

Is MySQL Workbench free?

Yes. The Community edition is free and GPL-licensed. Commercial editions exist as part of paid MySQL subscriptions but the free edition includes the SQL editor, modeling, administration, and migration wizard.

Does MySQL Workbench include the MySQL server?

No. It is a client only. The server is a separate download, though MySQL Installer on Windows can install both in one pass.

Can Workbench connect to MySQL 9.x?

Yes, with a current 8.0.x Workbench build and accounts using caching_sha2_password. Accounts left on the removed mysql_native_password plugin fail against 9.x servers.

What port does Workbench use?

Whatever the server listens on — 3306 by default. Over an SSH tunnel, the SSH port (22 by default) is the only one that must be reachable externally.