Knowledge base
1000 FAQs, 500 tutorials and instructional videos. Here, there are only solutions!
Troubleshooting a MySQL error ($ in password)
Update 09/01/2026
This guide details the specific rules to follow when creating a user password with mysqli_connect() that contains the “dollar” character $ on Infomaniak platforms.
Introduction
- If you receive the error message "Access denied for user" when using
mysqli_connect(), and your database user password contains a$character, the problem may be due to how strings are handled in PHP. - The problem may also occur with email scripts.
Rules to follow
When the special character $ is used in a user password and is followed by any character other than a number, the variable name is invalid and the substitution will not be performed correctly.
Here are some solutions to fix this:
- Place the password between single quotes:
'$******' - Make sure a number immediately follows the dollar sign:
"$2*****" - Use a backslash to "escape" the dollar sign in the password:
“\$****”
Link to this FAQ: https://faq.infomaniak.com/2559
Has this FAQ been helpful?