How do I see which auth plugin a user is on?

`SELECT user, host, plugin FROM mysql.user WHERE user = 'app';` shows per-user plugin. If MySQL 8 default, you'll see `caching_sha2_password`. Client requesting `mysql_native_password` against this user fails because plugins don't match. Fix at one end or the other.

Switch user to mysql_native_password — command?

`ALTER USER 'app'@'%' IDENTIFIED WITH mysql_native_password BY '';` — requires the password again (mysql_native_password stores a different hash). After running, the user is now negotiable with old-style auth. Old clients work; modern clients still work (both support native_password).

Host-restricted grant — how does that show?

If `app@'localhost'` exists but not `app@'%'`, connecting from any other host fails — even with correct password and matching auth plugin. Verify with: `SELECT user, host FROM mysql.user WHERE user = 'app';`. Add the missing host: `CREATE USER 'app'@'192.0.2.5' IDENTIFIED BY ''; GRANT ALL ON db.* TO 'app'@'192.0.2.5';`.

REQUIRE SSL on the grant — connection without TLS still fails?

Correct — `REQUIRE SSL` enforces TLS. Connection-string-side: pass `SslMode=Required` (.NET), `sslmode='required'` (Python), `ssl: {}` (Node mysql2). Server's CA cert may need to be trusted client-side too. Verify with `SHOW VARIABLES LIKE '%ssl%';` on server, confirm have_ssl is YES and ssl_ca/cert/key are set.

Using method 'mysql_native_password' failed with message: access denied for user

3 min read

29.05.2026

Verify Username and Password

Check if the username and password used in the connection string are correct.

Test the credentials manually:
mysql -u your_user -p

If login fails, reset the password:

ALTER USER 'your_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_new_password';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Check Authentication Plugin

Ensure that the user is configured to use mysql_native_password.

Run the following SQL query:

SELECT user, host, plugin FROM mysql.user WHERE user = 'your_user';

If the plugin column shows caching_sha2_password, change it to mysql_native_password:

ALTER USER 'your_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED WITH mysql_native_password BY 'your_new_password';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Check Host Restrictions

MySQL may restrict the user to connections from certain hosts. Check:
```
SELECT user, host FROM mysql.user WHERE user = 'your_user';
```
If the user is restricted to localhost, but the connection is coming from another server, allow access from all hosts:
```
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON *.* TO 'your_user'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_new_password';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
```

Verify the Connection String

Ensure the connection string in your application matches the MySQL credentials.

mysql_native_password Access Denied — Force native_password — client requests, server must allow.

For closely related MySQL 0x80004005 troubleshooting topics, see MySqlConnector Access Denied (admin guide), MySql.Data 0x80004005 — Causes and Fixes, and MySQL Error #1227 — SUPER Privilege.

Example for C#:
string connectionString = "Server=localhost;Database=mydb;User ID=your_user;Password=your_new_password;";

If connecting remotely, replace localhost with the server's IP address or hostname.

Ensure MySQL is Listening for Remote Connections

Open the MySQL configuration file (my.cnf or my.ini) and check the bind-address:
```
bind-address = 0.0.0.0
```
Restart MySQL after making changes:
sudo systemctl restart mysql

Check Firewall and Port 3306

Ensure the firewall allows traffic on port 3306:
sudo ufw allow 3306/tcp
Verify MySQL is listening on port 3306:
netstat -tulnp | grep mysql

Update MySQL Connector

Ensure that the MySQL client or connector used by the application supports mysql_native_password:

C#:
Install-Package MySql.Data -Version 8.0.33
Python:
pip install --upgrade mysql-connector-python
Node.js:
npm install mysql2@latest

Final Test

Restart the application.
Check the database logs for any further errors:
tail -n 50 /var/log/mysql/error.log
Verify that the user can connect and authenticate successfully.

By following these steps, the "Access Denied for User using 'mysql_native_password'" error should be resolved.

Using method 'mysql_native_password' failed with message: access denied for user

Verify Username and Password

Check Authentication Plugin

Check Host Restrictions

Verify the Connection String

Ensure MySQL is Listening for Remote Connections

Check Firewall and Port 3306

Update MySQL Connector

Final Test

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Using method 'mysql_native_password' failed with message: access denied for user

Verify Username and Password

Check Authentication Plugin

Check Host Restrictions

Verify the Connection String

Ensure MySQL is Listening for Remote Connections

Check Firewall and Port 3306

Update MySQL Connector

Final Test

Hosting

Cloud Solutions

For You

VDS

Website Builders

Our services

Client Area

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