How to Edit and Change Privileges on an Existing Grant

Need to upgrade a read-only user to full access? Or downgrade an admin user to data-only? The Nobregas MySQL Panel lets you edit privileges on any existing grant without deleting and re-creating the user.

When to Edit Privileges

Common scenarios for changing an existing grant:

• Upgrading a read-only user to include INSERT and UPDATE for a new feature.
• Downgrading a full-access user to SELECT-only after a project phase ends.
• Adding structure privileges (CREATE, ALTER) temporarily for a migration.
• Removing dangerous privileges (DROP, TRUNCATE) after initial database setup.

Step-by-Step: Editing Privileges

1. Log in at mysql.nobregas.org.
2. Go to Database Users in the top navigation bar.
3. Click the Manage button on the user whose privileges you want to change.
4. In the Current Grants section, find the database grant to edit.
5. Click the Edit button next to that grant.
6. The privilege checkboxes appear inline, pre-selected with the current privileges.
7. Check or uncheck individual privileges as needed.
8. Click Save Changes.

The privileges are updated immediately on the MySQL server.

Upgrading Privileges

To give a user more access:

1. Open the grant for editing.
2. Check additional privileges you want to add.
3. To switch to full access, check ALL PRIVILEGES — this automatically selects everything.
4. Save changes.

Example: A reporting user with only SELECT needs to also create temporary tables for complex queries. Edit the grant and add CREATE TEMPORARY TABLES.

Downgrading Privileges

To restrict a user's access:

1. Open the grant for editing.
2. If ALL PRIVILEGES is checked, uncheck it first.
3. Uncheck the privileges you want to remove.
4. Ensure at least one privilege remains checked.
5. Save changes.

Example: A developer had ALL PRIVILEGES during setup. Now that the app is in production, edit the grant to keep only SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE.

How It Works Behind the Scenes

When you save privilege changes, the panel performs an atomic operation:

1. Revokes all existing privileges on that database for the user.
2. Grants the newly selected privileges.

This ensures a clean privilege state with no leftover permissions.

Verifying the Change

After saving, the Current Grants section refreshes automatically. The privilege list or badge updates to reflect the new permissions. On the main Database Users page, the privilege badge also updates:

• Green ALL badge — Full privileges.
• Blue N privs badge — Specific number of individual privileges granted.

Important Notes

• Privilege changes take effect immediately — no restart or reconnect needed.
• You cannot edit privileges to have zero permissions. To remove all access, use Revoke instead.
• Editing a grant does not change the user's password or host.