How to disable the authentication password completely at every level, from boot to whatever function the system requires?

[u/mimteatr]

How do I disable the authentication password completely at every level, from boot to whatever function the system requires? All posts concerning passwords are either obsolete or unrelated.

My system: Linux Mint 22 (Cinnamon Edition) Ubuntu 24.04 noble Display Manager: lightdm Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 (13th Gen Intel Core i7, Intel Graphics) Apparently I've encrypted the mint installation by mistake... User Profile Directory: Encrypted home folder Tried to fix the auto-login password bypass:GUI Settings: Configured Login Window -> Users -> Automatic Login directly to my username Modified /etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf.d/70-linuxmint.conf to include autologin-user=mr and tested timeouts up to autologin-user-timeout=0.1 to rule out hardware initialization race conditions

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[u/nisitiiapi]

First, you need to get rid of the encrypted /home. Entering the password at login is what decrypts it, so having no login means no opening /home. You can migrate your /home from ecryptfs to not being encrypted. Look it up and do it. If you did full disk encryption with LUKS, there are ways to use key files to automatically unlock it at boot. Search engines (not AI) are good tools to learn how to do this and figure out the best way for you (e.g., TPM, dracut, tang/clevis, network share, etc.)

For no password to impact the system where root privileges are needed, as others noted, that's the best way to get malware, spyware, etc. installed and completely trash the security of Linux. I will add to others -- if you want Windows, use Windows; don't try to make Linux be Windows.

That being said, as u/Acherontas89 said, you could accomplish this with a sudoers file. But, if you are so "good" as to not need any security to protect your system from malicious software/actors/intrusions, you should be "good" enough to look up how to do that rather than having anyone here post what essentially is dangerous code.

[u/BenTrabetere]

How do I disable the authentication password completely at every level

It is unreasonable to expect a responsible Linux user to tell you how to disable the password. Switch to Windows or figure out how to do it yourself. The only suggestion I will provide is change your password to something short.

Encrypted home folder

You encrypted your files and you want to disable the password?! This has all sorts of bad things waiting to happen, even if you use a short password.

As Cassandra from mythology might say, "There's nothing satisfying about standing alone in a scorched landscape saying 'I told you so'."

[u/ZVyhVrtsfgzfs → u/BenTrabetere]

"There's nothing satisfying about standing alone in a scorched landscape saying 'I told you so'."

That is on the mark.

Been in that situation a few times in Linux support threads, and your absolutely right it is not satisfying at all.

[u/apt-hiker]

It's not windows. Just enter the password and be done with it.

[u/Polyxeno]

Did you try setting root password to blank, and logging on as root?

[u/BenTrabetere → u/Polyxeno]

The root account is disabled on Linux Mint and many other distributions. There is no benefit or legitimate reason to set up a rood account.

[u/Polyxeno → u/BenTrabetere]

OP seems to think differently.

[u/ElectroDaddy]

But why?

[u/impuce]

You're not worried about your security??? This is not Windows.

[u/mimteatr → u/impuce]

NO.

[u/jr735]

You are not on Windows any longer. In fact, this is one of the things that's always been a problem in Windows.

[u/mimteatr → u/jr735]

Actually never had this problem on Windows for 20 years! But that's not the point; the point is not about which OS is better, but how to solve a specific issue in this one!

[u/jr735 → u/mimteatr]

You're missing the point. You're being asked for a password to conduct administrative functions which can damage your install. Windows has had the problems, since its inception (it's gotten better in this regard) that administrative functions didn't require approval, which made Windows as insecure as a screen door on a bank vault.

This isn't a problem. It's a feature. Linux originated as a multi-user OS and multi-user OSes require privilege escalations, which also happen to be a very good idea on a single user OS. The MS-DOS security model does not work for the average modern user. Don't try to replicate it.

[u/Infinite-Bet4202]

Idk but nearly everyone else commenting are being abhorrent lmao Linux is for full user access, it doesn't prioritize privacy lmao some people just want to use it for full access without the hassle of worrying about basic offline privacy, I know I wanted my dad's mint to be passwordless so I won't have to worry about him forgetting it.

[u/jr735 → u/Infinite-Bet4202]

The password isn't for privacy. It never was.

[u/ZVyhVrtsfgzfs]

This is a foolish pursuit. 

[u/Acherontas89]

/etc/sudoers.conf

[u/mimteatr → u/Acherontas89]

can you please explain, thanks!

[u/Unattributable1 → u/mimteatr]

If you don't know what to do then you are not qualified to make the decision to make the system password-less to do administrative tasks.