For a list of macOS versions that the MySQL server supports, see https://www.mysql.com/support/supportedplatforms/database.html.
MySQL for macOS is available in a number of different forms:
Native Package Installer, which uses the native macOS installer (DMG) to walk you through the installation of MySQL. For more information, see Section 2.4.2, “Installing MySQL on macOS Using Native Packages”. You can use the package installer with macOS. The user you use to perform the installation must have administrator privileges.
Compressed TAR archive, which uses a file packaged using the Unix tar and gzip commands. To use this method, you 'to open a Terminal window. You do not need administrator privileges using this method, as you can install the MySQL server anywhere using this method. For more information on using this method, you can use the generic instructions for using a tarball, Section 2.2, “Installing MySQL on Unix/Linux Using Generic Binaries”.
In addition to the core installation, the Package Installer also includes Section 2.4.3, “Installing a MySQL Launch Daemon” and Section 2.4.4, “Installing and Using the MySQL Preference Pane”, both of which simplify the management of your installation.
For additional information on using MySQL on macOS, see Section 2.4.1, “General Notes on Installing MySQL on macOS”.
You should keep the following issues and notes in mind:
As of macOS 10.14 (Majave), the macOS MySQL 5.7 Installer application requires permission to control System Events so it can display a generated (temporary) MySQL root password. Choosing "Don't Allow" means this password won't be visible for use.
If previously disallowed, the fix is enabling System Events.app for Installer.app under the Security & Privacy | Automation | Privacy tab.
A launchd daemon is installed, and it includes MySQL configuration options. Consider editing it if needed, see the documentation below for additional information. Also, macOS 10.10 removed startup item support in favor of launchd daemons. The optional MySQL preference pane under macOS System Preferences uses the launchd daemon.
          You may need (or want) to create a specific
          mysql user to own the MySQL directory and
          data. You can do this through the Directory
          Utility, and the mysql user
          should already exist. For use in single user mode, an entry
          for _mysql (note the underscore prefix)
          should already exist within the system
          /etc/passwd file.
        
          Because the MySQL package installer installs the MySQL
          contents into a version and platform specific directory, you
          can use this to upgrade and migrate your database between
          versions. You need either to copy the
          data directory from the old version to
          the new version, or to specify an alternative
          datadir value to set location of the data
          directory. By default, the MySQL directories are installed
          under /usr/local/.
        
You might want to add aliases to your shell's resource file to make it easier to access commonly used programs such as mysql and mysqladmin from the command line. The syntax for bash is:
alias mysql=/usr/local/mysql/bin/mysql alias mysqladmin=/usr/local/mysql/bin/mysqladmin
For tcsh, use:
alias mysql /usr/local/mysql/bin/mysql alias mysqladmin /usr/local/mysql/bin/mysqladmin
          Even better, add /usr/local/mysql/bin to
          your PATH environment variable. You can do
          this by modifying the appropriate startup file for your shell.
          For more information, see Section 4.2.1, “Invoking MySQL Programs”.
        
          After you have copied over the MySQL database files from the
          previous installation and have successfully started the new
          server, you should consider removing the old installation
          files to save disk space. Additionally, you should also remove
          older versions of the Package Receipt directories located in
          /Library/Receipts/mysql-.
        VERSION.pkg
      The package is located inside a disk image
      (.dmg) file that you first need to mount by
      double-clicking its icon in the Finder. It should then mount the
      image and display its contents.
    
Before proceeding with the installation, be sure to stop all running MySQL server instances by using either the MySQL Manager Application (on macOS Server), the preference pane, or mysqladmin shutdown on the command line.
To install MySQL using the package installer:
          Download the disk image (.dmg) file (the
          community version is available
          here) that
          contains the MySQL package installer. Double-click the file to
          mount the disk image and see its contents.
        
          Double-click the MySQL installer package from the disk. It is
          named according to the version of MySQL you have downloaded.
          For example, for MySQL server 5.7.40 it might be
          named
          mysql-5.7.40-macos-.
        10.13-x86_64.pkg
The initial wizard introduction screen references the MySQL server version to install. Click to begin the installation.
The MySQL community edition shows a copy of the relevant GNU General Public License. Click and then to continue.
From the Installation Type page you can either click to execute the installation wizard using all defaults, click to alter which components to install (MySQL server, Preference Pane, Launchd Support -- all enabled by default).
Although the option is visible, the installation location cannot be changed.
Click to begin the installation process.
After a successful installation, the installer displays a window with your temporary root password. This cannot be recovered so you must save this password for the initial login to MySQL. For example:
MySQL expires this temporary root password after the initial login and requires you to create a new password.
Summary is the final step and references a successful and complete MySQL Server installation. the wizard.
MySQL server is now installed, but it is not loaded (or started) by default. Use either launchctl from the command line, or start MySQL by clicking "Start" using the MySQL preference pane. For additional information, see Section 2.4.3, “Installing a MySQL Launch Daemon”, and Section 2.4.4, “Installing and Using the MySQL Preference Pane”. Use the MySQL Preference Pane or launchd to configure MySQL to automatically start at bootup.
      When installing using the package installer, the files are
      installed into a directory within /usr/local
      matching the name of the installation version and platform. For
      example, the installer file
      mysql-5.7.40-
      installs MySQL into
      macos10.13-x86_64.dmg/usr/local/mysql-5.7.40-macos10.13-x86_64/
      . The following table shows the layout of the
      installation directory.
    
Table 2.7 MySQL Installation Layout on macOS
| Directory | Contents of Directory | 
|---|---|
| bin | mysqld server, client and utility programs | 
| data | Log files, databases | 
| docs | Helper documents, like the Release Notes and build information | 
| include | Include (header) files | 
| lib | Libraries | 
| man | Unix manual pages | 
| mysql-test | MySQL test suite | 
| share | Miscellaneous support files, including error messages, sample configuration files, SQL for database installation | 
| support-files | Scripts and sample configuration files | 
| /tmp/mysql.sock | Location of the MySQL Unix socket | 
      During the package installer process, a symbolic link from
      /usr/local/mysql to the version/platform
      specific directory created during installation is created
      automatically.
    
macOS uses launch daemons to automatically start, stop, and manage processes and applications such as MySQL.
      By default, the installation package (DMG) on macOS installs a
      launchd file named
      /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.oracle.oss.mysql.mysqld.plist
      that contains a plist definition similar to:
    
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple Computer//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>Label</key>             <string>com.oracle.oss.mysql.mysqld</string>
    <key>ProcessType</key>       <string>Interactive</string>
    <key>Disabled</key>          <false/>
    <key>RunAtLoad</key>         <true/>
    <key>KeepAlive</key>         <true/>
    <key>SessionCreate</key>     <true/>
    <key>LaunchOnlyOnce</key>    <false/>
    <key>UserName</key>          <string>_mysql</string>
    <key>GroupName</key>         <string>_mysql</string>
    <key>ExitTimeOut</key>       <integer>600</integer>
    <key>Program</key>           <string>/usr/local/mysql/bin/mysqld</string>
    <key>ProgramArguments</key>
        <array>
            <string>/usr/local/mysql/bin/mysqld</string>
            <string>--user=_mysql</string>
            <string>--basedir=/usr/local/mysql</string>
            <string>--datadir=/usr/local/mysql/data</string>
            <string>--plugin-dir=/usr/local/mysql/lib/plugin</string>
            <string>--log-error=/usr/local/mysql/data/mysqld.local.err</string>
            <string>--pid-file=/usr/local/mysql/data/mysqld.local.pid</string>
        </array>
    <key>WorkingDirectory</key>  <string>/usr/local/mysql</string>
</dict>
</plist>
   Some users report that adding a plist DOCTYPE declaration causes the launchd operation to fail, despite it passing the lint check. We suspect it's a copy-n-paste error. The md5 checksum of a file containing the above snippet is 24710a27dc7a28fb7ee6d825129cd3cf.
To enable the launchd service, you can either:
Click from the MySQL preference pane.
Or, manually load the launchd file.
$> cd /Library/LaunchDaemons
$> sudo launchctl load -F com.oracle.oss.mysql.mysqld.plist
        To configure MySQL to automatically start at bootup, you can:
$> sudo launchctl load -w com.oracle.oss.mysql.mysqld.plist
When upgrading MySQL server, the launchd installation process removes the old startup items that were installed with MySQL server 5.7.7 and earlier.
Upgrading also replaces your existing launchd file of the same name.
Additional launchd related information:
          The plist entries override
          my.cnf entries, because they are passed
          in as command line arguments. For additional information about
          passing in program options, see
          Section 4.2.2, “Specifying Program Options”.
        
          The ProgramArguments section
          defines the command line options that are passed into the
          program, which is the mysqld binary in
          this case.
        
          The default plist definition is written
          with less sophisticated use cases in mind. For more
          complicated setups, you may want to remove some of the
          arguments and instead rely on a MySQL configuration file, such
          as my.cnf.
        
          If you edit the plist file, then uncheck
          the installer option when reinstalling or upgrading MySQL.
          Otherwise, your edited plist file is
          overwritten, with the loss of any changes you have made.
        
      Because the default plist definition defines
      several ProgramArguments, you
      might remove most of these arguments and instead rely upon your
      my.cnf MySQL configuration file to define
      them. For example:
    
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple Computer//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>Label</key>             <string>com.oracle.oss.mysql.mysqld</string>
    <key>ProcessType</key>       <string>Interactive</string>
    <key>Disabled</key>          <false/>
    <key>RunAtLoad</key>         <true/>
    <key>KeepAlive</key>         <true/>
    <key>SessionCreate</key>     <true/>
    <key>LaunchOnlyOnce</key>    <false/>
    <key>UserName</key>          <string>_mysql</string>
    <key>GroupName</key>         <string>_mysql</string>
    <key>ExitTimeOut</key>       <integer>600</integer>
    <key>Program</key>           <string>/usr/local/mysql/bin/mysqld</string>
    <key>WorkingDirectory</key>  <string>/usr/local/mysql</string>
    <key>ProgramArguments</key>
        <array>
            <string>/usr/local/mysql/bin/mysqld</string>
            <string>--user=_mysql</string>
        </array>
</dict>
</plist>
   
      In this case, the basedir,
      datadir,
      plugin_dir,
      log_error, and
      pid_file options were removed
      from the plist definition, and then you you might define them in
      my.cnf.
    
The MySQL Installation Package includes a MySQL preference pane that enables you to start, stop, and control automated startup during boot of your MySQL installation.
This preference pane is installed by default, and is listed under your system's System Preferences window.
To install the MySQL Preference Pane:
          Download the disk image (.dmg) file (the
          community version is available
          here) that
          contains the MySQL package installer. Double-click the file to
          mount the disk image and see its contents.
        
Go through the process of installing the MySQL server, as described in the documentation at Section 2.4.2, “Installing MySQL on macOS Using Native Packages”.
Click at the Installation Type step. The "Preference Pane" option is listed there and enabled by default; make sure it is not deselected.
Complete the MySQL server installation process.
The MySQL preference pane only starts and stops MySQL installation installed from the MySQL package installation that have been installed in the default location.
Once the MySQL preference pane has been installed, you can control your MySQL server instance using the preference pane. To use the preference pane, open the System Preferences... from the Apple menu. Select the MySQL preference pane by clicking the MySQL icon within the preference panes list.
The MySQL Preference Pane shows the current status of the MySQL server, showing stopped (in red) if the server is not running and running (in green) if the server has already been started. The preference pane also shows the current setting for whether the MySQL server has been set to start automatically.
To start the MySQL server using the preference pane:
Click . You may be prompted for the username and password of a user with administrator privileges to start the MySQL server.
To stop the MySQL server using the preference pane:
Click . You may be prompted for the username and password of a user with administrator privileges to stop the MySQL server.
To automatically start the MySQL server when the system boots:
Check the check box next to Automatically Start MySQL Server on Startup.
To disable automatic MySQL server startup when the system boots:
Uncheck the check box next to Automatically Start MySQL Server on Startup.
You can close the System Preferences... window once you have completed your settings.