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Change or reset the root password

Three ways to set a new root password, including when you can't get in at all.

1 min read Updated

root is the account that can do anything on the server. Change its password regularly, and immediately if you think someone else has it.

If you can still sign in: use SSH

bash
passwd

Type the new password twice. It takes effect at once, without a restart.

If you can't sign in: use the management panel

  1. Open the server's management panel — see Access your VPS or dedicated server.
  2. Open the options menu (top right) and choose Reset root password.
  3. Enter the new password and save.

If you run cPanel: use WHM

Sign in to WHM as root, then Server Configuration → Change Root Password.

Choosing the password

  • 8 to 50 characters, with at least one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
  • Never reuse a password from another system.
  • Store it in a password manager, not in a text file on your desktop.

Important

Anyone with the root password owns the server: its data, its mail, its customers. If it has ever been shared — with a developer, an agency, in a ticket to another supplier — change it.

Still stuck?

Open a ticket from your control panel and say which step you reached. A screenshot of what you see is the fastest way to show us.

Open a ticket Search all answers

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