Fixing the Missing data Folder and my.ini File in MySQL Server 8.0 Installation

Background

When starting the MySQL 8.0 service, you may encounter the error:

The MySQL80 service on Local Computer started and then stopped.

Upon further inspection, you might notice:

• ❌ The data folder is missing in the MySQL Server 8.0 installation directory
• ❌ There is no my.ini configuration file
• ❌ The service is not visible in Data Source Explorer

Solution Steps ✅

① Verify the installation path

• Search "MySQL Server 8.0" in the taskbar, right-click it → choose Open file location
• You will find the actual path, for example: C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\

② Open Command Prompt as Administrator

• Search for cmd, right-click → choose Run as administrator

③ Navigate to the MySQL bin directory

• Use cd to enter the directory C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\bin

④ Register the service (optional)

• Run mysqld --install

⚠️ Must be run as administrator; otherwise, registration will fail.

⑤ Initialize the MySQL data directory

• Run mysqld --initialize-insecure --user=mysql

  • --initialize-insecure: No password is set for the root user (i.e., it will be blank)
  • This step will automatically generate the missing data folder 🎉

⑥ Start the MySQL service

• Run net start mysql

  • If you see "The MySQL service was started successfully", then everything is set ✅

Additional Notes

• If you need a my.ini file later, you can manually create one in the installation directory with content like:

[mysqld]
basedir="C:/Program Files/MySQL/MySQL Server 8.0/"
datadir="C:/Program Files/MySQL/MySQL Server 8.0/data/"
port=3306
sql_mode=NO_ENGINE_SUBSTITUTION,STRICT_TRANS_TABLES

• If startup fails, check Windows Services or use eventvwr.msc to view system logs

Final Result 💡

• ✅ data folder successfully created
• ✅ Service starts normally
• ✅ You can now use the mysql command to access the database via CLI