How to Enable Root Logins via SSH

Follow these steps to enable root logins on various Linux distributions via SSH:

To start, login to your VPS via the default credentials, they can be found via our dashboard.

Ubuntu 20.04 & 24.04

• Open the terminal and edit the SSH configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

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• Find the line that says #PermitRootLogin ... and change it to:

PermitRootLogin yes

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• Save the file and exit the editor (Ctrl + O, Enter, Ctrl + X).
• Restart the SSH service:

sudo systemctl restart ssh

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Debian 11 & 12

• Open the terminal and edit the SSH configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

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• Locate the line #PermitRootLogin prohibit-password and change it to:

PermitRootLogin yes

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• Save and exit the editor.
• Restart the SSH service:

sudo systemctl restart ssh

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CentOS 7

• Open the terminal and edit the SSH configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

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• Find the line #PermitRootLogin yes and ensure it is uncommented:

PermitRootLogin yes

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• Save the changes and exit the editor.
• Restart the SSH service:

sudo systemctl restart sshd

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Important Notes

• Enabling root login can pose security risks. Consider using sudo for administrative tasks instead.
• Ensure that you have a strong password for the root account.
• Always monitor your server for unauthorized access attempts.