Reset root password of an ESXi host which are managed by vCenter Host Profiles Or Changing the ESXi root account password

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

This article provides steps to change or reset a lost or forgotten root password of an ESXi host through vCenter Host profiles.

Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi 6.X
VMware vSphere ESXi 7.X
VMware vSphere ESXi 8.X

Resolution

Note: In some cases a defective keyboard can cause problems logging into an ESXi host. Please test with a different physical keyboard if you are having difficulties with known login credentials.

As per the ESXi design and security feature, If the root account password for an ESXi Host has been forgotten or is not documented one cannot recover a lost / forgotten password from ESXi host.
Reinstalling the ESXi host is the only option available.

If the ESXi hosts are deployed and managed by vCenter Host Profiles follow the steps below, 


Note: The procedure(s) below performs a password reset. This blindly replaces the existing root password with a new one. This is not a password recovery mechanism. That is, it does not allow the old password to be learned. VMware/Broadcom does not provide tools or methods to recover the original root password of an ESXi host.

 

Reset ESXi password if forgotten or lost via Host Profile feature:

If the host is managed by vCenter and is still connected, it is possible to the reset by leveraging the host profile feature. For Host Profile feature you must have Enterprise Plus Licensing - For more information refer to KB: Reset ESXi Root Password with Host Profile

If the host is standalone and not managed by vCenter, then re-installing ESXi is the only option.

 

Change ESXI password:

If the current host password works to change password, then refer to Changing ESXI password.

Additional Information