This is an archive of past FreeBSD releases; it's part of the FreeBSD Documentation Archive.

Eek! I forgot the root password! Frequently Asked Questions for FreeBSD 2.X : System Administration : Eek! I forgot the root password!
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8.20. Eek! I forgot the root password!

Don't Panic! Simply restart the system, type -s at the Boot: prompt to enter Single User mode. At the question about the shell to use, hit ENTER. You'll be dropped to a # prompt. Enter mount -u / to remount your root filesystem read/write, then run mount -a to remount all the filesystems. Run passwd root to change the root password then run exit to continue booting.

Frequently Asked Questions for FreeBSD 2.X : System Administration : Eek! I forgot the root password!
Previous: How do I set up mail with a dialup connection to the 'net?
Next: How do I keep Control-Alt-Delete from rebooting the system?