How to Reset a Forgotten Kali Linux Password

You can reset a forgotten Kali Linux password when you have console access to the machine or virtual machine and can edit its GRUB boot entry. The recovery path starts a root shell, remounts the installed filesystem read-write, and uses passwd to set a new password for the account you own.

Check the recovery boundary first

This method changes an account password. It does not reveal the old password, bypass a full-disk encryption secret, or help with a system you do not administer.

• Use the Kali console or the VirtualBox display, not a remote SSH session.
• Keep the VirtualBox window focused during boot so you can open the GRUB editor.
• If the disk is encrypted, enter its unlock secret before the installed root filesystem can be mounted.

Open the Kali GRUB editor

Restart Kali and open the GRUB menu. On a virtual machine, the timing depends on the firmware and boot screen, so use the keyboard in the VM window as the system starts.

The retained screenshot shows the Kali GNU/Linux entry selected in GRUB. Select that entry and press e to edit its boot instructions.

The next screenshot marks the linux boot instruction in red, rather than a command prompt where you should type a password.

Boot a temporary root shell

Move to the end of the line that begins with linux. Replace the existing quiet splash text on that line with rw init=/bin/bash, then boot the edited entry with Ctrl+X or F10.

rw init=/bin/bash

Kali now starts a root shell before its normal login service. The installed filesystem must be writable before passwd can update the account database.

Set a new password for the right account

List regular home directories if you do not know the username. The directory name usually identifies the account you need to recover.

ls /home

Remount the root filesystem, then replace USERNAME with the account name returned by ls /home. passwd prompts for the new password twice and does not display the characters you type.

mount -o remount,rw /
passwd USERNAME
sync

Start the normal init process after sync. If the system does not continue, reboot from the virtual machine controls and sign in with the new password.

exec /sbin/init

Confirm the account works after restart

Sign in with the new password, then use passwd without an account name only after you are logged in as the account whose password you want to change. Review the Kali Linux command reference if you need to update the system after recovery.

Avoid the common recovery mistakes

Kali documentation identifies default credentials as tool-specific values, while the installer creates the regular account password during setup. Do not enter a default credential from an old tutorial.

1. Do not use passwd before remounting the root filesystem read-write.
2. Do not reset root when the missing password belongs to a regular account.
3. Do not close the VirtualBox window before the changed boot entry starts.
4. Do not treat a full-disk encryption secret as an account password.

Protect the virtual machine after recovery

Take a VirtualBox virtual-machine backup after you regain access. A backup gives you a recovery point for configuration changes, but it should be stored with the same care as the VM because it can contain sensitive files.

If you are rebuilding the VM instead, the VirtualBox Kali installation walkthrough covers a clean Kali setup. Use Linux users, groups, and permissions to check which account should have administrative access, and Linux command line basics if you need a quick refresher before working in the recovery shell.

Frequently asked questions

These answers cover the account and storage boundaries that determine whether a GRUB recovery shell can help.

After you regain access, record where your recovery information is stored and keep your VM backup current. That gives you a way back without turning a password reset into your regular recovery plan.