Password and authentication
Losing root access to a server is a common emergency scenario. This section guides you through recovering root access on Ubuntu and CentOS by booting into single-user mode via the GRUB bootloader using the server's VNC console — no prior password required.
Explore recovery instructions
Ubuntu 24.04 Root Password Reset
Reset the root password on Ubuntu 24.04 via GRUB and VNC console.
Ubuntu 16.04 – Dedicated Server
Recover root access on a dedicated Ubuntu 16.04 server.
Ubuntu 16.04 – Cloud Server
Reset root password on an Ubuntu 16.04 cloud server instance.
CentOS 6 and CentOS 7
Reset root password on CentOS 6 and 7, dedicated and cloud.