LINUX CLASSES - LINUX COMMANDS

How Do I Change my Linux Password?

You can use the passwd command to change your log-in password, and as you can tell from the man output shown in the preceding section, you have quite a few options. Here are some of the most common:

passwd Change your own password.

passwd sleepy Change sleepy's password.

passwd -d sleepy Delete sleepy's password.

When you enter one of these commands to change a password, you will be prompted for the old (current) password and a new password. Your new password should be at least six characters long and not too easy for someone else to guess. Oh, and writing it down on a scrap of paper taped to your monitor is not recommended either. :-)

If you share your Linux system with multiple users, or if you have a dial-in modem attached, password security for each account is particularly important. But if you're the only one who will ever lay a finger on your system, you might want to delete your password, thus removing the need to enter it each time you log in. It's your call, but you never know when your five-year-old will wander by the keyboard!

By the way, you might get the idea from the preceding commands that users can go around changing each other's passwords at will, but that's not the case. Only a superuser (such as root) can change or delete another user's password.

For more information on the passwd command, see the passwd manual.

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Comments (most recent first)

Ks (26 Aug 2010, 00:12)

Thank you so much, it helped me.

mounisha (26 Jul 2010, 13:38)

how to change a password? what are septs?

Somu (09 Jul 2010, 08:20)

suppose a user forgot his password and he asking the admin to change the password then what are the steps should be followed by the admin and what are the different ways of changing it could u please mail me out

sureshbvn (25 Jun 2010, 10:28)

you have another soloution in changin the password of superuser.
restart the system
press any key while booting
it takes to you have a screen
select required ie kernel
press b
you will get a terminal
you can directly log in as superuser
using passwd command you can change

sureshbvn (25 Jun 2010, 10:26)

you cannot see the password.
instead you can change the password.
log in as single user.
you can do this by init 1 which shutdowns the
networking.
now u can login as single user.
change the password by passwd+enter
give the password

ezat (25 Jun 2010, 08:38)

change my password

Raghavendra (24 Jun 2010, 21:46)

i am a account in administrator . i don't know my adminstrator password how to know my administrator password

suresh (10 Jun 2010, 12:19)

just use passwd and press enter.
it will ask for new password.
enter it two times.

Aniket Kulkarni (10 Jun 2010, 04:48)

For changing the Super User Password Go into single mode and change the root password.

patricia (09 Jun 2010, 20:00)

@Kanya:

$ sudo su
***prompt will change***
# passwd
# exit

Kanya (08 Jun 2010, 22:27)

I can not change password Linux

Bob Rankin (05 Apr 2010, 07:19)

Mahesh Narayan (10 Mar 2010, 05:53)

how to change super user password


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