Ever since the Steam Deck became available in 2022, it changed the PC handheld scene completely. Nowadays, we have more mainstream players in the market like the Asus Rog Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, and the upcoming MSI Claw. And while the choices have expanded a good amount, for many the Steam Deck is still their go-to device for PC gaming on the go. However, the Deck is not without its fair share of issues. A major issue that some players have been facing happens to be the sudo password not working as intended.
When it comes to tinkering with the Deck, you will need to use a sudo password. Without it, it will be basically impossible to install certain apps like CryoUtilities and such. So, can this issue be fixed? Well, let’s go ahead and find out.
Steam Deck sudo password not working: How to fix it
Players can use the following workarounds to resolve this issue. Try these out and see if any of them are of help.
Set password for the “deck” account –
A possible cause behind this issue could be that the user hasn’t simply set a password for the Deck account. In such cases, the fix is simple. Just switch to Desktop Mode and open Konsole. In there, type in this command and hit enter: passwd. You will now be able to change the password for the current “Deck” account. Additionally, you can also try adding a “deck” user to the sudoers file.
Set a new password for your user account –
You can also try setting up a new password for your user account if you have forgotten your sudo password and such. To do this, just switch to Desktop Mode, click on Start, and then your user image. Select Set new password and you do as it says.
Use recovery image –
If you want to change your password, you can try this particular method too. Follow the instructions below carefully and you will be able to change your password in no time:
- First of all, get a USB flash drive and use it to boot up a recovery image. Players can use this official guide by Valve for just that.
- Next, type in sudo su in the terminal in order to make sure that you are the root user.
- After that, you will need to mount your internal disc somewhere in mount /dev/mmcblk0p1 /mnt.
- Now, edit the shadow file nano/mnt/etc/shadow.
- You can now remove the password from the line for the Deck. Just remove everything up until the colon. Do not touch the colon at all.
- Reboot the Deck and you will be able to set a new password.
Use certain commands –
This one is another way of resetting your password. For this one, you can follow the previous workaround’s steps until you come across the terminal. Once you are in the terminal, type in the following and hit Enter after each command:
- sudo ~/tools/repair_device.shchroot
- rm -f/var/lib/overlays/etc/upper/passwd
- rm -f/var/lib/overlays/etc/upper/shadow
After entering all the commands successfully, restart the Deck. Next, switch to the Desktop Mode and open System Settings. Click Users under Personalization and select your user. Now select Change Password and enter a new root password. Click on the Set Password button and then Change Wallet password. You can now exit System Settings.
Factory reset the Deck –
If none of the aforementioned workarounds are of help, we recommend that you factory reset your Deck and then add a new password. Do note that this will delete everything from your Deck, so make sure your internet connection is good enough to download everything. Now, in order to reset the Deck, you just need to switch to Gaming Mode, if you aren’t already in it. Next, press the Steam button on your Deck and select Settings > System. On the right side, you will find the Reset to Factory state option under Advanced. Click on the Factory Reset button and the reset process will start. After the process is over, set up the Deck and download all the necessary files. After that, switch to Desktop Mode and create a new sudo password using Konsole.
And that’s all the information we have on this issue. Additionally, if you want to know how to install CryoUtilities in Steam Deck, take a quick look here. Lastly, for more such content, keep following DigiStatement. Also read: Sifu crashing on Steam Deck: How to fix it?
