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How To Reset Root Password in single user mode

To Reset Root Password in RHEL/CentOS and Fedora

In this article, we will learn some simple steps to reset forgotten root password in RHEL, CentOS and Fedora Linux. There are various ways to reset root password and we are going to follow Booting into single user mode to reset the password.

Take backup of your data before start the password resetting.

STEP 1:

Boot your Computer and Interrupt while booting at GRUB stage hitting arrow keys or space bar.

STEP 2:

Type ‘ a’ to modify kernel argument and you can cancel it by typing ESC key.

STEP 3:

Type command runlevel to know your run level. In this 1 S state that you are in a single user mode.

STEP 4:

Type passwd command without username and press Enter. Now enter the new root password and re-type. User has now reset the password successfully.

After the password is changed, type the following command to switch to GUI.

[root@linuxhelp /]# init 5

STEP 5:
Now login by entering the username root and type the newly created password, now your machine will be successfully logged in.

Tag : Single User mode
FAQ
Q
There is any other method to reset the root account password in a Container?
A
Enter the container and changing the password
" lxc-attach -n enter "
"passwd "
"exit"
When using OpenVZ containers (up to PVE 3.4) use
"vzctl enter
Q
Can my users register data in such a way that other users can't see this data?
A
Yes. When users register data by using the password reset registration portal, the data is saved into private authentication fields that are visible only to global administrators and the user.
Q
If I enable password reset for a group and then decide to enable it for everyone are my users required re-register?
A
No. Users who have populated authentication data are not required to re-register.
Q
Where we can see the user list in the Linux to reset the password?
A
In /etc/passwd you can see the user list to reset the password for the user use passwd command.
Q
Where the password has been stored in the Linux system?
A
The password has been stored in the following path
"/etc/shadow"