- 1How to Add a New User in Linux
- 2Modify Existing User in Linux
- 3Delete a User in Linux — Step-by-Step for Beginners
- 4Create a User Group in Linux - Step-by-Step Tutorial
- 5Linux: Add User to Group
- 6How to Remove a User from a Group in Linux
- 7Delete a User Group in Linux - Beginner Friendly Tutorial
- 8Linux su Command Tutorial – Switch Users Easily
- 9Linux sudo Command - Execute as Another User
- 10Change a User's Password in Linux Using passwd
- 11Set Password Expiry in Linux using chage
- 12Lock a User Account in Linux
- 13How to Unlock a User Account in Linux
- 14Configure User Login Shell in Linux
- 15How to Configure User Environment Variables in Linux
- 16Edit .bashrc and .profile in Linux - User Startup Files Tutorial

- 1Linux Topics Index
- 2How to Create a File in Linux
- 3How to Rename a File in Linux
- 4How to Copy a File in Linux
- 5How to Move a File in Linux
- 6How to Delete a File in Linux
- 7How to Create a Directory in Linux
- 8How to Delete a Directory in Linux
- 9How to Copy Directories Recursively in Linux
- 10Delete Directories Recursively in Linux
- 11How to View Hidden Files in Linux
- 12How to Create a Hidden File in Linux
- 13How to Create a Hidden Directory in Linux
- 14How to Find Files in Linux Using find Command
- 15Find Files in Linux Using locate Command
- 16How to View File Contents Using cat in Linux
- 17How to View File Contents Using less in Linux
- 18View File Contents Using the more Command in Linux
- 19Compare Files Using diff Command in Linux
- 20Compare Files in Linux Using cmp Command
- 21Check File Type in Linux with file Command
- 22Create Symbolic Links with ln -s in Linux
- 23How to Archive Files Using tar Command in Linux
- 24Compress Files with gzip in Linux – Beginner Tutorial
- 25How to Compress Files Using bzip2 in Linux
- 26Compress Files in Linux Using zip Command
- 27Extract Compressed Files using tar in Linux
- 28Extract ZIP Files on Linux with unzip
- 29How to Extract .gz Files using gunzip in Linux

- 1How to Add a New User in Linux
- 2Modify Existing User in Linux
- 3Delete a User in Linux — Step-by-Step for Beginners
- 4Create a User Group in Linux - Step-by-Step Tutorial
- 5Linux: Add User to Group
- 6How to Remove a User from a Group in Linux
- 7Delete a User Group in Linux - Beginner Friendly Tutorial
- 8Linux su Command Tutorial – Switch Users Easily
- 9Linux sudo Command - Execute as Another User
- 10Change a User's Password in Linux Using passwd
- 11Set Password Expiry in Linux using chage
- 12Lock a User Account in Linux
- 13How to Unlock a User Account in Linux
- 14Configure User Login Shell in Linux
- 15How to Configure User Environment Variables in Linux
- 16Edit .bashrc and .profile in Linux - User Startup Files Tutorial
How to Change a User’s Password Using passwd
Next Topic ⮕Set Password Expiry in Linux using chage
How to Change a User’s Password Using passwd
Hey there! In this quick and friendly Linux tutorial, we’re going to learn how to change a user’s password using the passwd
command. Whether you're a beginner exploring the Linux terminal for the first time, or you're managing users on your system, this command is simple but very powerful.
🔑 What is passwd
?
passwd
is a built-in Linux command used to change user passwords. You can use it to update your own password or change the password of another user (if you have sudo privileges).
🧪 Scenario 1: Change Your Own Password
If you're logged into your account and want to change your password, just run:
passwd
It will prompt you like this:
Current password:
New password:
Retype new password:
Once you successfully enter and confirm the new password, it will be updated.
🧑💼 Scenario 2: Change Another User's Password (As Admin)
Let’s say you're the admin and you want to change the password for a user named john
. Here's what you do:
sudo passwd john
You’ll see a prompt like this:
Enter new UNIX password:
Retype new UNIX password:
passwd: password updated successfully
Make sure you use a strong password and confirm it correctly.
📝 Pro Tip: Expire a Password to Force a Change
You can also expire a user's password so that they're forced to change it on next login:
sudo passwd --expire john
This is useful for setting temporary passwords or onboarding new users.
🙋♂️ Common Issues
- If you get a “Permission denied” error, make sure you’re using
sudo
. - If password rules are strict, you may need to use a longer or more complex password.
✅ Recap
Here’s a quick summary:
passwd
— change your own passwordsudo passwd <username>
— change someone else’s passwordsudo passwd --expire <username>
— force a user to change password at next login
And that’s it! You’ve learned how to use the passwd
command like a Linux pro. 🎉
Try it out and see how easy it is to manage user passwords securely!