- 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 Unlock a User Account in Linux
How to Unlock a User Account in Linux
Hey there! 👋 If you're a beginner in Linux and you've come across a situation where a user account is locked, don’t worry — unlocking it is simple! In this tutorial, I’ll guide you through the steps to check and unlock a user account using the terminal. This is especially useful if a user has been locked out after too many failed login attempts or was manually locked by an admin.
🔐 Step 1: Check If a User Account Is Locked
Let’s say the username is john
. To check if the account is locked, we’ll use the passwd -S
command:
sudo passwd -S john
john L 06/30/2025 0 99999 7 -1
The letter L
in the second column means the account is Locked. If you see a P
, it means the account is Active (Password set).
🔓 Step 2: Unlock the User Account
To unlock the user account, just run the following command:
sudo passwd -u john
passwd: password expiry information changed.
That’s it! The user john
can now log in normally.
👀 Optional: Verify Unlock Status
You can recheck the status to make sure the account is now unlocked:
sudo passwd -S john
john P 06/30/2025 0 99999 7 -1
Notice the P
now? That means the account is active again!
🚧 Bonus: What If It’s a Locked Shell?
Sometimes, accounts are locked by assigning /sbin/nologin
or /bin/false
as their login shell. To fix that, you can change the shell like this:
sudo usermod -s /bin/bash john
This ensures the user has access to a valid shell.
🎉 That’s a Wrap!
And that’s how you unlock a user account in Linux! Whether you’re managing your own machine or helping a colleague, you now know exactly what to do when a user gets locked out.
Want to keep learning? Explore more Linux tutorials and hands-on examples with us on programguru.org 🚀