How to Reset the Linux Root Password Using GRUB Without Reinstalling Linux
Nov 14, 2026 ahmed mokdad 9 min read
Have you ever forgotten the root password on a Linux server and wondered whether you need to reinstall the operating system? Fortunately, you don’t. Linux provides a recovery method through the GRUB bootloader that allows you to reset the root password without losing your data or reinstalling the system.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to use rd.break to interrupt the boot process, access the system’s root filesystem, change the root password, and restore SELinux security labels.
Quick Summary
You can reset a forgotten Linux root password by interrupting the boot process from GRUB, adding rd.break to the kernel parameters, remounting the filesystem in read-write mode, and using chroot to change the password. This method is commonly used on RHEL-based distributions such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux, and CentOS Stream.
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