VMware ESXi is a hypervisor software used for running virtual machines. The administrator password created during ESXi installation is a necessary password for security purposes. As ESXi runs on a dedicated server, a password reset tool used for other operating systems cannot be used. These methods require physical access and involve different steps for resetting the root user’s password on the ESXi host.
Resetting the VMware ESXi password is useful when you lose access to the management console. The following steps are designed to work with ESXi 6.5 and later versions.
VMware Resetting Steps
- Access the physical or virtual console of your ESXi server.
- Restart the server and when the ESXi boot screen appears, enter the administrator mode by pressing the F2 key to enter the administrator credentials.
- After entering the administrator credentials, select the “Configure Password” option.
- On the password change page, select the “Reset Password” option.
- Now enter a new administrator password and click the “Confirm” option.
- After confirming your new password, press the “ESC” key to save and exit the settings.
- You can now log in again with your new password.
Alternative Steps
These steps should perform the administrator password reset operation on your ESXi server. However, you may need to use a different method to reset the password . You can use the VMware PowerCLI tool using a Windows or Linux system connected to your ESXi server.
To begin this operation, the PowerCLI tool must be downloaded and installed first. Then, you can proceed by following the steps below:
- Open the PowerCLI tool and connect it to your ESXi server.
- Log in to your ESXi server using the administrator credentials.
- Reset the user’s password using the following command:
Set-VMHostAccount -UserAccount "username" -Password "newpassword"- Reconnect to the ESXi server to confirm that the password has been successfully changed.
By following these steps, you can reset password on your ESXi server using the PowerCLI tool.
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