Servers are not starting

If the servers in MAMP PRO fail to start, it may be because the default ports for MySQL and/or Apache are already in use by another service. This can be checked and resolved using Activity Monitor on macOS.

Here’s a short guide on how to check with Activity Monitor on macOS if another service or application is already running MySQL or Apache, which might prevent MAMP PRO from starting its own servers — and how to stop those processes:


 1. Open Activity Monitor

  • Go to Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor

  • Or press Cmd + Space, type “Activity Monitor”, and hit Enter


2. Search for related processes

  • In the search bar (top right), type mysql:

    • If you see a process like mysqld, MySQL is already running

  • Then type httpd:

    • If httpd processes appear, Apache is already active (possibly the built-in macOS version)


3. Quit the processes

  • Select the relevant process (e.g. mysqld or httpd)

  • Click the “X” button in the top left

  • Choose “Force Quit” to stop the process


4. Restart servers in MAMP PRO

  • Launch MAMP PRO and start the servers again