Ham Radio and the Raspberry Pi

Resetting a Forgotten Password

I have had to do this a few times.

How to Reset a Forgotten Password on Raspberry Pi

If you've forgotten your Raspberry Pi password, there are several methods to reset it, depending on whether you can still access the system or not. Below are step-by-step instructions for both scenarios.

If You Can Still Log In (Auto-Login or Another User Account)

If your Raspberry Pi is set to auto-login, or you can access the system with another user account that has administrative (sudo) privileges, you can easily reset the password:

Open a terminal window.
Type the following command, replacing <username> with your actual username (commonly pi):
```
text
sudo passwd <username>
```
Enter your new password when prompted1 78.

Alternatively, you can use the graphical tool:

Go to Menu > Preferences > Raspberry Pi Configuration, then find the password option in the "System" tab to set a new password8.

If You Cannot Log In (Forgotten All Passwords)

If you are completely locked out, you can reset the password by editing the SD card on another computer:

1. Power Off and Remove the SD Card

Turn off your Raspberry Pi and remove the SD card.

2. Edit `cmdline.txt` on Another Computer

Insert the SD card into a card reader on another computer (Windows, Mac, or Linux).
Open the cmdline.txt file found in the boot partition of the SD card.
Add the following to the end of the existing line (do not start a new line):
```
text
init=/bin/sh
```
Make sure there is a space before init=/bin/sh and that everything remains on a single line5 7 810.
Save the file and safely eject the SD card.

3. Boot Into Root Shell

Insert the SD card back into your Raspberry Pi.
Connect a keyboard and monitor.
Power on the Pi. It will boot to a root shell prompt.

4. Remount the Root Filesystem as Read/Write

At the prompt, type:
```
text
mount -o remount,rw /
```

5. Reset the Password

Change the password for your user (replace pi with your username if different):
```
text
passwd pi
```
Enter the new password when prompted5 7 89

6. Save and Reboot

Ensure all changes are written:
```
text
sync
```
To reboot, type:
```
text
exec /sbin/init
```
Alternatively, you can power off and on again5 79

7. Restore `cmdline.txt`

Remove the SD card again and put it back into your computer.
Open cmdline.txt and remove the init=/bin/sh you added earlier.
Save the file, eject the card, and put it back in your Raspberry Pi.

Now, you should be able to log in with your new password5 7 89

Summary Table

Scenario	Method
Can auto-login or use another admin user	Use `sudo passwd <username>` or GUI tool
Cannot log in at all	Edit `cmdline.txt` to boot into root shell and reset

Tips:

Always ensure you edit cmdline.txt on a single line.
If you have multiple users, you can reset any user's password from the root shell.
Remember to remove init=/bin/sh from cmdline.txt after resetting the password to avoid booting into the root shell every time.

These methods are reliable and widely used for resetting forgotten passwords on Raspberry Pi OS5 7 89

Citations:

Answer from Perplexity: https://www.perplexity.ai/search/teach-me-how-to-reset-the-pass-UheGoyMCQ4.JsA2bU34yAg?utm_source=copy_output

REFERENCES:

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