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root password reset

Posted on December 19, 2025

I need to reset the root password of my droplet, if I try to use the password reset function I get an error “the root password in managed internally and cannot be changed” How can I reset my password?



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Hi there,

That error usually shows up when the Droplet was created with SSH keys only or when cloud-init is managing the root accoun.

The safest way to reset the password is usually through recovery mode. DigitalOcean has a step-by-step guide here: https://docs.digitalocean.com/support/how-do-i-reset-my-droplets-root-password/

If this still doesn’t work or something looks different from the docs, it’s worth reaching out to support and asking them to confirm how your Droplet was created. They can check whether password auth is disabled or if another setting is preventing the reset.

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