Reset the Root Password on Debian

Introduction

If you are locked out of your Debian instance and have lost access to the root account, you need to boot into single-user mode and reset the root password. These steps apply to Debian 9 and 10.

How to Reset the Root Password on Debian

1. Access the instance console in the Vultr customer portal.

   

2. Click the Send CtrlAltDel button on the top right of the web console.

   

   You can also click the Server Restart icon.

   

3. As the system boots, press ESC to bring up the GRUB boot prompt. The prompt happens early in the boot process. If you miss the prompt, you need to restart the server from the control panel and try again.

4. At the GRUB boot prompt, press E to edit the first boot option.
5. Find the kernel line starting with linux /boot/.
6. Add a space and the text init=/bin/bash to the end of the line.
7. Press CTRL+X or F10 to boot into single-user mode.
8. The system will boot, and you will see the root prompt.
9. Run mount -o remount,rw / to mount the system volume.
10. Run passwd and follow the prompts to change the root password.
11. Reboot the server.