How To Set The root Password In Ubuntu

By default ubuntu has an unknown password set. It is very rare that you would ever need to login as root but if you do you will need to have a password set. To set the password for root it is as simple as typing in a command in a terminal / command line.

When you set the root password you will need to be logged in with a user that has sudo access. Often times the user that you created when you setup your Ubuntu system will have sudo access.

If you are setting this on a desktop computer you will need to open a terminal to issue the following command. Since the default server does not have a graphical interface you will just need to enter the command.

Tips on how to open a terminal:

Unity: http://mixeduperic.com/linux/how-to-open-a-terminal-window-in-unity.html

Gnome 2:  http://mixeduperic.com/linux/how-to-open-a-terminal-window-in-gnome-2.html

Let's get started. Enter the following command in a terminal or bash window.

sudo passwd root

Enter your password (sudo user password)

Create a password

Confirm password

To login and test out the new root users password, use the  su command to switch users.

su

You can now issue commands as the root user. Just be really careful because if you make a mistake the root user will have the access to do it.

Hope you found this useful!