MySQL Workbench is not finding MySQL service

I hope your problem might have been already resolved.

However, I recently had a similar experience and I had to do following to resolve it.

1. Launch MySQL Workbench (Mine was 5.2.36 CE Revision 8542)
2. Double click on a server instance to manage the server instance
3. Goto Users and Privileges
4. Select root or other user you wish to check from the list in "Server Access Management" tab
5. Change the "Limit connectivity to hosts matching:" to IP that you are using to connect OR just change it to "%" to remove the IP restriction.<6> 6. In my case I had to change it to "%" to make it work.

Hope this will be helpful to someone, someday!
Cheers Manish.

You will need to give root@localhost a password

Since you just installed mysql, you are running with default settings, this means you have no my.cnf. You will have to create one.

Run the following at a DIS Prompt

cd C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.5
dir *.ini

There, you will see sample .ini files. Let's pick my-small.ini

net stop mysql
cd C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.5
copy my-small.ini my.ini
cd data
del ib*
notepad my.ini

Once you open notepad, add this under the [mysqld] header

[mysqld]
skip-grant-tables

Close notepad and Save my.ini

Next, run these lines

net start mysql
mysql (hit enter)

You will get a mysql prompt. Now run this:

mysql> UPDATE mysql.user SET PASSWORD=PASSWORD('mysecretpassword') WHERE user='root' AND host='localhost';
exit

Back at the DOS Prompt, do this:

net stop mysql
notepad my.ini

Once Notepad is open, delete the line skip-grant-tables from my.ini

Close notepad and Save my.ini

net start mysql

Once mysql is back up, test the password at the DOS prompt

mysql -uroot -p (hit enter)
Password: (type mysecretpassword and hit enter)

If you get the mysql prompt, CONGRATULATIONS !!! You installed a password for root@localhost

Go back to MySQL Workbench and user mysecretpassword as the password

Give it a Try !!!