Steps to Reset Forgotten Password in Rocky Linux/Alma Linux

Here’s a step-by-step tutorial on using the command terminal to reset your AlmaLinux or Rocky root user password if you can not remember it.
Usually, a number of factors can cause this to occur. The first possibility is that you used the root user to log in on your previous visit. Another explanation might be that you require a password manager to store your extremely complex passwords safely.
The newest Linux distributions based on RedHat are AlmaLinux/Rocky. Resetting the password is the only method to retrieve it, though, should you eventually need to log in as root user and forget it.

This article will explain the steps to reset the forgotten password in Linux/Alma Linux.

Step 1: Editing the Kernel Parameters

First, you need to reboot the system. On the first entry of the grub menu, press “e” on the keyboard to access the GRUB editor.

rd.break enforcing=0

If you need to gain access to the emergency mode, press Ctrl+x.

Step 2: Resetting the Root Password

To reset the root password, you need access to the /sysroot directory with read and write permissions. To mount the/sysroot directory with the read and write permissions, enter the command given below:

# mount -o rw,remount /sysroot
Note: Make sure to take note of the space between the mount and -o and between the remount and /.
In the next step, change the directory environment to /sysroot.

# chroot /sysroot

If you want to reset the root password, type the command below. You will have to provide a new password and reset it later.

# passwd root

Step 3: Setting the SElinux Context

# touch  /.autorelabel

In the root directory, this command creates a hidden file with the name.autorelabel. SELinux finds the file during the reboot and re-labels all of the system’s files with the appropriate SELinux contexts. When there is enough disk space in the machine, this operation takes some time.

Once you have completed the process of autorelabel, exit the /sysroot environment using the command given below:

$ exit
Again, run the exit command to leave, switch the root session, and reboot the system.

$  exit
Once you have rebooted the system successfully, you can login and switch to the root user easily.

Conclusion
This is one of the simplest ways to reset the forgotten root user password on Alma Linux or Rocky Linux. And that’s it!