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Guides - Reset the Root Password on a Compute Instance

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All Compute Instances deployed using one of Linode’s official distribution images provide the ability to reset the root password on the system. This is useful if you ever lock yourself out of your instance’s root account or are simply rotating your password for security. Follow the instructions below to reset your root password:

  1. Log in to the Cloud Manager, click the Linodes link in the sidebar, and select a Compute Instance from the list.

  2. Click the Power Off button in the upper right of the Compute Instance’s dashboard or within the ellipsis menu. Wait until the Compute Instance has been fully powered off before continuing to the next step.

  3. Navigate to the Settings tab.

  4. Scroll down to the Reset Root Password section.

  5. Select your primary disk from the Disk dropdown menu.

  6. Enter a new password for the root user in the New Root Password field.

    Account passwords must be a minimum of 11 characters in length and be sufficiently complex. Each password is individually analyzed by an algorithmic tool to determine it’s strength. When creating a password, follow the recommendations listed below:

    • Password should be at least 11 characters in length (though longer passwords are considered stronger).
    • Avoid using simple passwords based on dictionary words.
    • Use a mixture of unpredictable uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
    • Avoid repeating characters (aaa), sequences (abcd), and keyboard patterns (qwerty).

  7. Click Save to make the change.

  8. Click Power On button to turn on your Compute Instance.

You can now use this new password when logging in as the root user on your Compute Instance over SSH or Lish (the Linode Shell). If you’re able to log in as root using Lish but not SSH, there may be an issue with the SSH configuration, firewall rules, or other network issues. The following guides provide more troubleshooting steps:

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