WordPress: How to solve "Error establishing a database connection"

The "Error Establishing a Database Connection" in WordPress typically occurs when WordPress can't connect to your database due to incorrect database credentials, a problem with the server, or a corrupted database. Here's a step-by-step guide to troubleshoot and resolve the issue:

Check Database Credentials in wp-config.php

• Ensure the database name, username, password, and host are correct in the wp-config.php file.
• Navigate to the root directory of your WordPress installation, find wp-config.php, and verify these lines

XAMPP (phpMyadmin)
To check or retrieve the username and password for your MySQL database in XAMPP via phpMyAdmin, follow these steps:

• Open phpMyAdmin in XAMPP
  Start XAMPP and ensure that Apache and MySQL services are running.
  Open your web browser and go to http://localhost/phpmyadmin.

• Check the MySQL Username
  By default, the MySQL username for XAMPP is usually root.
  To confirm or change this, click on the "User accounts" tab in the top menu inside phpMyAdmin.

You’ll see a list of all MySQL users and their corresponding privileges. Look for the user with the Host set to localhost (this is typically the root user).

• Check the MySQL Password
  By default, XAMPP does not set a password for the root user, meaning the password field is blank.
  However, if you have set a password for the root user, you won't be able to see the password directly. Instead, you can reset it if needed.

• Resetting or Setting a Password for MySQL User
  In phpMyAdmin, navigate to "User accounts".
  Find the user you want to reset the password for (likely root), then click Edit Privileges next to the user.

Scroll down to the Change password section and enter a new password. Confirm the password, and click Go to save the changes.

If you've set a password for the root user, remember to update 'DB_NAME', 'DB_USER' and 'DB_PASSWORD' fields in your WordPress configuration (wp-config.php) accordingly.

These steps should help you troubleshoot and resolve the "Error Establishing a Database Connection" in WordPress.

Comments

[hamid mazuji]

like, uh, this just shows us how to change the root password for mysql. it doesn't resolve the issue with /localhost/wordpress & establishing a database connection. also, there seems to be some confusion about user accounts & passwords. the default user account for wordpress is "admin" & password "easy123". this article was real sloppy. i guess that's the difference between wordpress content creators and programmers