How to Change the Root Password in Linux

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: March 14, 2023 Tested

This wikiHow teaches you how to change the Linux root password if you have the current password or if you don't have access to the current root password.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

With the Current Root Password

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1
Open a terminal window. To do so, press Ctrl+Alt+T,^{[1]
X
Research source} which will open a new terminal window with a command prompt in most Linux desktop environments.
- If you’re not using a desktop environment, you’re already at a command prompt, so proceed to the next step.
^{[2]
X
Research source} A Password: line will open below the command prompt.

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3
Type the current root password, then press ↵ Enter. When the password is accepted, you’ll be brought back to the command prompt as the root user.
- If you type the password incorrectly, run su and try again.
- Passwords are case-sensitive.
An Enter new UNIX password: line will appear below the prompt.
The password you type will not appear on the screen.
You will see a message that reads “password updated successfully.”
This will log you out of the root account.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Without the Current Root Password

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2
Press E at the Grub menu.^{[3]
X
Research source} The Grub menu appears right after you turn on the computer. In most cases, it only stays on the screen for a few moments.
- If you don’t press E before the Grub menu disappears, reboot and try again.
- This method works for most popular Linux distributions (Ubuntu, CentOS 7, Debian). There are many distributions of Linux, some more obscure than others. If you’re not able to get to single-user mode with this method, check your distribution’s website for instructions specific to your system.
3
Scroll to the line that begins with linux /boot. Use the ↑ and ↓ keys to do so. This is the line you’ll need to modify in order to boot into single-user mode.
- In CentOS and some other distributions, the line may begin with linux16 rather than linux.
Use the →, ←, ↑, and ↓ keys to place the cursor right after ro.
5
Type init=/bin/bash after ro. The end of the line should now look like this:
ro init=/bin/bash.
- Note the space between ro and init=/bin/bash.
This tells the system to boot directly to a root-level command prompt in single-user mode.
This mounts the file system in read-write mode.
Since booting into single-user mode gives you root access, there’s no need to pass additional parameters to the passwd command.
The characters you type won’t be displayed on the screen. This is normal.
When the system confirms you’ve re-entered the same password, you’ll see a message that reads “password updated successfully.”
This command reboots the system normally.

Community Q&A

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Question

How do I find the current password?

77Ecrivan

Community Answer

If you have lost your current root password, you may need to use a password cracking tool to get it back. Depending on the strength of the password you set, this could be either very easy or very difficult. John the Ripper is a popular password cracking tool that might work for you.

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Question

I am facing an authentication failure problem even after using a valid password. What can be the reason?

77Ecrivan

Community Answer

If you are certain that you are in fact using the correct password, then you may have been locked out. To check if your account is locked, open up the terminal and enter "passwd -S [user name]". This should present you with some numbers and letters, a date and your user name. At the end of this line, check to see if it says "(Password locked.)". You can unlock an account by running "passwd -u" in the terminal.

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Question

I have tried this. The first time it works well, but not the second. I notice my linux line does not have the /boot/, can it still work?

Haxalicious

Community Answer

If your linux line does not have /boot/ and it does not boot up then you have broken your GRUB. You will need to re-add this line to boot your computer. If there is another path then just add the required things after "ro" on the linux line.

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To change the password for another user, su to root and type passwd <username>.

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Your password should be 8 characters or more and contain a mix of letters (upper and lowercase), numbers and symbols.

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