Forgetting your password can be a frustrating experience, especially when it locks you out of your own system. In a Linux environment, resetting a forgotten password is a crucial skill that can save you time and effort. This article will guide you through the process of resetting a forgotten password in Linux, ensuring you can regain access to your system without having to reinstall the operating system.

Examples:

1. Using Single-User Mode (for most Linux distributions):

• Step 1: Reboot your system. During the boot process, access the GRUB menu by pressing the Shift key (for BIOS systems) or the Esc key (for UEFI systems).


• Step 2: In the GRUB menu, select the entry for your Linux system and press e to edit the boot parameters.


• Step 3: Find the line that starts with linux and append single or init=/bin/bash at the end of this line.


• Step 4: Press Ctrl + X or F10 to boot with the modified parameters. This will boot the system into single-user mode or a root shell.


• Step 5: Once you have root access, you can reset the password using the passwd command. For example:
  

   passwd username

  
  

  Replace username with the actual username whose password you want to reset. Follow the prompts to enter and confirm the new password.



• Step 6: After resetting the password, reboot the system using:
  

   reboot

2. Using a Live CD/USB:

• Step 1: Boot your system using a Live CD/USB of your Linux distribution.


• Step 2: Open a terminal and identify the root partition of your installed system using the fdisk -l or lsblk command. For example:
  

   lsblk



• Step 3: Mount the root partition. Assuming the root partition is /dev/sda1, the command would be:
  

   sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt



• Step 4: Change the root to the mounted partition:
  

   sudo chroot /mnt



• Step 5: Reset the password using the passwd command:
  

   passwd username

  
  

  Replace username with the actual username.



• Step 6: Exit the chroot environment and unmount the partition:
  

   exit
  
   sudo umount /mnt



• Step 7: Reboot the system:
  

   sudo reboot