MySQL Bugs: #118550: MySQL Workbench Detects Incorrect Server Version (5.7.23) Despite MySQL Server 8.0.42 Being Installed and Configured

Bug #118550	MySQL Workbench Detects Incorrect Server Version (5.7.23) Despite MySQL Server 8.0.42 Being Installed and Configured
Submitted:	28 Jun 23:27	Modified:	4 Jul 1:23
Reporter:	Jodian Hylton	Email Updates:
Status:	Not a Bug	Impact on me:	None
Category:	MySQL Workbench	Severity:	S1 (Critical)
Version:	8.0.42	OS:	Windows
Assigned to:		CPU Architecture:	x86
Tags:	export, mysql 8.4, MySQL server version, MySQL Server; Workbench, mysqlserver, mysqlworkbench

Description:
Hello,

I am currently experiencing an issue with MySQL Workbench on my Windows 11 x86, 64-bit operating system.

I have MySQL Workbench 8.0.42 and MySQL Server 8.0.42 installed. When I attempt to export all tables from my database, I consistently receive the following error:

"mysqldump Version Mismatch"
"mysqldump.exe is version 8.0.42, but the MySQL Server to be dumped has version 5.7.23. Because the version of mysqldump is not the same as the server, some features may not be backed up properly.
It is recommended you upgrade or downgrade your local MySQL client programs, including mysqldump, to a version equal to or newer than that of the target server.
The path to the dump tool must then be set in Preferences → Administrator → Path to mysqldump Tool."

To resolve this, I’ve tried several recommended solutions, including those from older bug reports:

Manually setting the path in Edit → Preferences → Administrator → Path to mysqldump Tool to:
C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\bin\mysqldump.exe

Manually setting the path in Edit → Preferences → Administrator → Path to MySQL tool to:
C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\bin\mysql.exe — but both had no effect.

Copying all files from:
C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\bin
into:
C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Workbench 8.0 CE
— to ensure complete version alignment. This also did not resolve the issue.

Despite these attempts, Workbench continues to detect the server version as 5.7.23. When I override the warning and proceed with the export, the resulting .sql file clearly indicates that version 5.7.23 was used, ignoring the paths I’ve configured.

I also performed a full clean-up and reinstallation:

Uninstalled all MySQL-related applications and deleted leftover files, including those in
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming

Reinstalled the latest versions of both MySQL Workbench and MySQL Server

Reapplied all path settings as before

Unfortunately, the problem still persists.

For additional verification, when I run mysql --version in MySQL Shell, I get:
mysql Ver 8.0.42 for Win64 on x86_64 (MySQL Community Server - GPL)

At this point, I’m stuck. I've spent two weeks trying to resolve this and would greatly appreciate any guidance or solutions.

Thank you in advance!

How to repeat:
Launch MySQL Workbench 8.0.42
Once connected to a database from the top menu, go to Server → Data Export.
Choose Export to Self-Contained File and select both structure and data for all tables for the selected schema.
Click Start Export

Suggested fix:
Determine why MySQL Workbench is showing a different MySQL server version than the one installed

Hello Jodian Hylton,

Thank you for the bug report.
Could you please paste the result of "select version();" after connecting to MySQL Workbench connection?
Also, may I kindly request you to launch workbench under debug mode (--log-level=debug3) and provide unaltered workbench log file(more details about log are explained here - https://dev.mysql.com/doc/workbench/en/workbench-reporting-bugs.html)?

Regards,
Ashwini Patil

The file and screenshot have been attached for your review.

Hello Jodian Hylton,

Thank you for the details.
Create a new connection with MySQL Server 8.0.42 credentials and repeat the procedure. You are connecting to Server 5.7 from Workbench hence it is detecting as 5.7.

Regards,
Ashwini Patil

Hello,

I connected with the connection set to the local instance of MySQL 8.0.42; however, I am still experiencing the same issue. I have attached a new log file. I did not install MySQL Server 5.7.2,3 only 8.0.42

For more context, I am connecting to a remote database on a WordPress hosting provider's server. Could this be why the server keeps saying 5.7.23?