Changing a Forgotten Password in Linux Mint

I created a Linux Mint virtual machine for some testing then mothballed it, returning to it months later. I followed security best practices for the main user account password:

• I used a unique, complex password.
• I didn’t write the password down.
• I didn’t share the password with anyone.
• I forgot the password.

It’s very secure.

So, here’s a password “recovery” procedure that works with Mint (and may also work with other distributions):

• Reboot the computer and hold down the SHIFT key as the boot process starts. This should load the GRUB boot menu.
• Select your Linux installation.
• Press the E key to edit.
• Use the Arrow keys to navigate to a line that looks similar to this:

linux /boot/vmlinuz-[kernel version]-generic root=UUID=[letters and numbers][letters and numbers] ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7

Change:

ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7

to:

rw init=/bin/bash

so it now reads:

linux /boot/vmlinuz-[kernel version]-generic root=UUID=[letters and numbers][letters and numbers] rw init=/bin/bash

• Press F10 to boot your system.
• Your system will boot up into a root shell with no password.
• Set your new password by entering:

passwd [your-user-name]

Note: if you have also forgotten your username, type:

cat /etc/passwd

…first to get a list of all defined users.

• Set your new password.
• Restart your system.

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