Cannot connect to MySQL Workbench on mac. Can't connect to MySQL server on '127.0.0.1' (61) Mac Macintosh
Ran into a similar issue and my problem was that MySQL installed itself configured to run on non-default port. I do not know the reason for that, but to find out which port MySQL is running on, run the following in MySql client:
SHOW GLOBAL VARIABLES LIKE 'PORT';
Go to System preferences -> MySql and check the state of your MySql instance.
There may be one or multiple reasons if you are not able to connect to MAC OS X MySQL server with MySQL-workbench.
When you press 'test connection' you might see this error. This could be explained briefly if you go step by step through 'Configure server management..' On the basis of the red crosses you can filter out the real problem.
The most common problems are associated with the installation of MySQL-server. Few people either forget to install the server prior to installing MySQL-workbench. Some others would install a part of the product. Please check whether you have also installed all the 3 parts that comes with the MySQL-Server dmg(disk image) file which contains mysql-server package. Those 3 parts are: MySQL server, preference pane and startup item.
Note: If you haven't selected preference pane then you won't be able to start mysql server instance from the System preferences.
After you make sure that you have installed each item then you can check server instance of your native mysql-server. Open System preferences from dock and click MySQL. Then click Start MySQL Server to start the server instance. If the server instance is stopped, then MySQL-workbench won't be able to connect to the MySQL server.
If you are still facing issue, then you need to check the port of the connection which you are making. Default port is '3307' and NOT '3306'. You can check it with using the following command in mysql terminal:
SHOW GLOBAL VARIABLES LIKE 'PORT';
Please note that this process helps you to connect to the local instance. If you have to connect to a remote server, then you have to enter that specific IP and Port. Contact your server's administrator if you are facing the issue. As this question specifically states that the problem is related to connecting to the local instance, I am not writing checks that you may need to ensure.