WSL Password Reset (Windows 11)

When you forget your WSL user password, log in as root and reset it. This guide walks through the steps.

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[01] Run WSL as Root

In PowerShell or CMD:

wsl -u root

For a specific distribution:

wsl -d Ubuntu-22.04 -u root

Option	Description
-u root	Log in as root (no password required)
-d Ubuntu-22.04	Specify a particular distribution

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[02] Check User List (optional)

You can see which user accounts exist.

cat /etc/passwd | grep -E ":/home/"

cha:x:1000:1000::/home/cha:/bin/bash

UID 1000 is typically the first user you created.

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[03] Reset the Password

passwd <username>

Example:

passwd cha

New password:
Retype new password:
passwd: password updated successfully

When run as root, you can set a new password without entering the old one.

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[04] Verify and Exit

exit

Then log in as the regular user and confirm the new password works.

wsl

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[05] Troubleshooting

5-1. wsl -u root fails

Open PowerShell as Administrator and try again.

# Open PowerShell as Administrator, then run:
wsl -u root

5-2. Don’t know the distribution name

wsl -l -v

  NAME            STATE           VERSION
* Ubuntu-22.04    Running         2
  Ubuntu-20.04    Stopped         2

The * marks the default distribution.

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[06] Summary

Step	Command
Log in as root	wsl -u root
List users	cat /etc/passwd \| grep :/home/
Reset password	passwd <username>
Exit	exit

WSL doesn’t have a default password. The user sets one when the distribution is first installed, and root can change it without knowing the old one.