<div id="docs-body">
 <div class="section">
  <div class="titlepage">
   <div>
    <div>
     <h4 class="title">
      <a name="mysql-installation-windows-path">
      </a>
      2.3.3.7 Customizing the PATH for MySQL Tools
     </h4>
    </div>
   </div>
  </div>
  <a class="indexterm" name="idm46045332032512">
  </a>
  <a class="indexterm" name="idm46045332031424">
  </a>
  <div class="warning" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
   <div class="admon-title">
    Warning
   </div>
   <p>
    You must exercise great care when editing your system
    <code class="literal">
     PATH
    </code>
    by hand; accidental deletion or
          modification of any portion of the existing
    <code class="literal">
     PATH
    </code>
    value can leave you with a
          malfunctioning or even unusable system.
   </p>
  </div>
  <p>
   To make it easier to invoke MySQL programs, you can add the path
        name of the MySQL
   <code class="filename">
    bin
   </code>
   directory to your
        Windows system
   <code class="literal">
    PATH
   </code>
   environment variable:
  </p>
  <div class="itemizedlist">
   <ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; ">
    <li class="listitem">
     <p>
      On the Windows desktop, right-click the
      <span class="guiicon">
       My
            Computer
      </span>
      icon, and select
      <span class="guimenuitem">
       Properties
      </span>
      .
     </p>
    </li>
    <li class="listitem">
     <p>
      Next select the
      <span class="guimenuitem">
       Advanced
      </span>
      tab from
            the
      <span class="guimenu">
       System Properties
      </span>
      menu that appears,
            and click the
      <span class="guibutton">
       Environment Variables
      </span>
      button.
     </p>
    </li>
    <li class="listitem">
     <p>
      Under
      <span class="guilabel">
       System Variables
      </span>
      , select
      <span class="guimenuitem">
       Path
      </span>
      , and then click the
      <span class="guibutton">
       Edit
      </span>
      button. The
      <span class="guimenu">
       Edit System
            Variable
      </span>
      dialogue should appear.
     </p>
    </li>
    <li class="listitem">
     <p>
      Place your cursor at the end of the text appearing in the
            space marked
      <span class="guilabel">
       Variable Value
      </span>
      . (Use the
      <span class="keycap">
       <strong>
        End
       </strong>
      </span>
      key to ensure that your cursor is
            positioned at the very end of the text in this space.) Then
            enter the complete path name of your MySQL
      <code class="filename">
       bin
      </code>
      directory (for example,
      <code class="literal">
       C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server
            8.4\bin
      </code>
      )
     </p>
     <div class="note" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
      <div class="admon-title">
       Note
      </div>
      <p>
       There must be a semicolon separating this path from any
              values present in this field.
      </p>
     </div>
     <p>
      Dismiss this dialogue, and each dialogue in turn, by
            clicking
      <span class="guibutton">
       OK
      </span>
      until all of the
            dialogues that were opened have been dismissed. The new
      <code class="literal">
       PATH
      </code>
      value should now be available to any
            new command shell you open, allowing you to invoke any MySQL
            executable program by typing its name at the DOS prompt from
            any directory on the system, without having to supply the
            path. This includes the servers, the
      <a class="link" href="mysql.html" title="6.5.1 mysql — The MySQL Command-Line Client">
       <span class="command">
        <strong>
         mysql
        </strong>
       </span>
      </a>
      client, and all MySQL command-line
            utilities such as
      <a class="link" href="mysqladmin.html" title="6.5.2 mysqladmin — A MySQL Server Administration Program">
       <span class="command">
        <strong>
         mysqladmin
        </strong>
       </span>
      </a>
      and
      <a class="link" href="mysqldump.html" title="6.5.4 mysqldump — A Database Backup Program">
       <span class="command">
        <strong>
         mysqldump
        </strong>
       </span>
      </a>
      .
     </p>
    </li>
   </ul>
  </div>
  <p>
   You should not add the MySQL
   <code class="filename">
    bin
   </code>
   directory
        to your Windows
   <code class="literal">
    PATH
   </code>
   if you are running
        multiple MySQL servers on the same machine.
  </p>
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