Reset Forgotten Ubuntu Linux Password on WSL | Debian, Kali, Linux Password Change/Reset on WSL

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How to Install Ubuntu on Windows 11 (WSL) | Windows Subsystem for Linux with GUI Support https://youtu.be/NXJjutYp4x8 Liked my video? 👍Buy me a cup of coffee! 🍵 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMz232hZ7fD75uGWhuLNjtA/join Forgot Linux Password on WSL? Here’s How to Reset it Easily WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) is a handy tool for people who want to enjoy the power of Linux command line from the comfort of Windows. When you install Linux using WSL on Windows, you are asked to create a username and password. This user is automatically logged on when you start Linux on WSL. Now, the problem is that if you haven’t used it for some time, you may forget the account password of WSL. And this will become a problem if you have to use a command with sudo because here you’ll need to enter the password. Follow Me on Facebook: https://fb.me/tanzTalks.tech Instagram: https://instagram.com/tanzeelosama/ Reset forgotten password for Ubuntu or any other Linux distribution on WSL: 00:38:00 Step 1: Switch to root as default user It will be wise to note down your account’s normal/regular username. The root user in WSL is unlocked and doesn’t have a password set. This means that you can switch to the root user and then use the power of root to reset the password. This is done through Windows Command Prompt and you’ll need to know which command you need to run for your Linux distribution. This information is usually provided in the description of the distribution app in the Windows Store. This is from where you had downloaded your distribution in the first place. From the Windows menu, start the command prompt. In here, use your distribution’s command in this fashion. If you were using the Ubuntu app from Windows store, the command would be: ubuntu config --default-user root To save you the trouble, I am listing some distributions and their respective commands in this table: Distribution App Windows Command Ubuntu ubuntu config –default-user root Ubuntu 20.04 ubuntu2004 config –default-user root Ubuntu 18.04 ubuntu1804 config –default-user root Debian debian config –default-user root Kali Linux kali config –default-user root 00:03:22 Step 2: Reset the password for the account Now, if you start the Linux distribution app, you should be logged in as root. You can reset the password for the normal user account. $passwd username It will ask you to enter a new password. When you type here, nothing will be displayed on the screen. That’s normal. Just type the new password and hit enter. You’ll have to retype the new password to confirm and once again. Congratulations. The password for the user account has been reset. But you are done just yet. The default user is still root. You should change it back to your regular account user, otherwise it will keep on logging in as root user. 00:04:17 Step 3: Set regular user as default again You’ll need the regular account username that you used with the passwd command in the previous step. Start the Windows command prompt once again. Use your distribution’s command in the similar manner you did in the step 1. However, this time, replace root with the regular user. ubuntu config --default-user username If resetting WSL password is this easy, is this not a security risk? Not really. You need to have physical access to the computer along with access to the Windows account. If someone already has this much access, she/he can do a lot more than just changing the Linux password in WSL. More Tutorials on Ubuntu: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnisUReSm0-nc0N5IlO0QoJd78oBhlHoX ---------- More Tutorials for VMWare Player: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnisUReSm0-ncHac3_ZAsE5g7nWy88Qta Install Microsoft Windows 11 on VMware Player: https://youtu.be/3HBSuoVOpt0 Install macOS 12 Monterey on VMware Player: https://youtu.be/WLMTAqZ_3xU Install macOS 13 Ventura on VMware Player: https://youtu.be/CeSqdrf1WOg ---------- VirtualBox playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnisUReSm0-lwVz0CcHg9_NlMY-Vtqd8Y Install Ubuntu 22.04 LTS in Oracle VirtualBox running on Windows 11: https://youtu.be/C5mJ2SwmN0w Install macOS Monterey in Oracle VirtualBox running on Windows 11: https://youtu.be/WGrBHjDFVIw Make Ubuntu Full Screen in Oracle VirtualBox on Windows 11: https://youtu.be/w4E1iqsn_wA Install Oracle Java (JDK) On Ubuntu 22.04 LTS: https://youtu.be/SMfO5oXNp2g ---------- My Gear: MSI GL65 Leopard Gaming Laptop Processor: Intel Core i7-10750H 2.6GHz, 10th Gen (6 Cores) Display: 15.6" FHD (1920*1080), IPS-Level 144Hz Memory: 16GB DDR4 RAM, 2666Mhz Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060, 6GB ‎GDDR6 Storage: 256GB NVMe M.2 SSD + 1TB SATA 7200RPM HDD Operating System: Windows 11 Home, 64Bit Web Camera: HD Webcam (720p at 30 fps) Keyboard: Per Key RGB SteelSeries Keypad #Ubuntu #wsl #Windows11 #tanztalkstech #tanzeelosama #tanzTalkstech2 @TanzeelOAnsari @tanzTalks.tech2 @tanzTalkstech