If you ever forget your Ubuntu password and can’t access your own system, don’t worry. You’re not the only one who has faced this common challenge. Many Ubuntu users have successfully reset their forgotten passwords and regained control of their systems. Maybe you chose a strong password, and it slipped your mind, or maybe you took a break from using your Ubuntu system and forgot what password you used.
This article will walk you through how to reset your Ubuntu password using recovery mode in under 2 minutes.
Reset Ubuntu Password – Recovery mode
The recovery mode is a special boot option that allows you to perform various maintenance tasks on your Ubuntu system, such as repairing file systems, cleaning up disk space, or resetting passwords.
To use this method, follow these steps:
Boot into the recovery mode
To boot into the recovery mode, you need to restart your Ubuntu system and press and hold the Shift key while it is booting. This will bring up the GRUB menu, which is a list of boot options for your system.
Use the arrow keys to select the option that says, “Advanced options for Ubuntu” and press Enter.
Then, select the option that says “recovery mode” and press Enter again.
Your screen will turn black and a few lines of output will appear quickly. Take a moment to wait here.
Drop to the root shell prompt
From the recovery mode menu, use the arrow keys to select the option that says “root – Drop to root shell prompt” and press Enter. This will open a command-line interface where you can execute commands as the root user, which is the superuser or administrator of your system.
Mount the root again with write access
By default, the root partition of your system is mounted in read-only mode, which means you can’t make any changes to it. To reset your password, you need to remount it in read-write mode, which allows you to modify it. To do this, type the following command and press Enter:
mount -rw -o remount /
You should not see any output or error messages if the command is successful.
Reset your Ubuntu password with the passwd command
The passwd command allows you to change or update passwords for user accounts on your system. To use it, type the following command and press Enter:
ls /home
Reset the password for the chosen “username” by using the following command:
passwd username
Replace username with your actual username. For example, if your username is cloudbooklet, type:
passwd cloudbooklet
You will be prompted to enter a new password twice. Make sure you choose a strong and memorable password and type it carefully.
Enter new UNIX password: Retype new UNIX password:
You just succeeded in changing the password. Now exit the root shell prompt:
Exit
Reboot your system and log in with your new password
You have successfully reset your Ubuntu password using the recovery mode. Choose the normal boot option here.
Your system will restart and take you to the login screen. Enter your username and your new password, and you should be able to access your Ubuntu system normally.
For mode guidelines on using upgrade kernal, visit our blog, How to Upgrade Linux Kernel in Ubuntu.
Conclusion
In this article, we have shown you how to reset your Ubuntu password using from the recovery mode. This method is simple and effective, and they can help you regain access to your Ubuntu system in case you forget your password. In this article, we looked at how to Reset your Ubuntu password using recovery mode.
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Reset your Forgotten Ubuntu Password in 2 Minutes