How to Change the Root Password on Your Linux Root Server / vServer

Using the passwd command you can change the password of your current user — or, as root, the password of any other user — directly on the server.

Log in as root

1. Connect via SSH
   Connect to your server via SSH:

   ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

Change your own password

Run the following command:

passwd

You will be prompted to:

1. Enter your current password (non-root users only).
2. Enter your new password.
3. Re-enter the new password to confirm.

Note

For security reasons nothing is displayed while typing — not even asterisks. Type the password blindly and confirm with Enter.

Change another user's password

As root you can set the password of any other user without knowing the old one:

passwd USERNAME

Example:

passwd myuser

Tips for strong passwords

• At least 16 characters.
• Mix of upper and lower case, numbers and special characters.
• No dictionary words and no personal data.
• Use a unique password per service — ideally managed in a password manager.

Tip

For even more security, use SSH keys instead of passwords. The full guide is available at Secure SSH Access.