Posted: Friday, May 30, 2025

Disable Admin Password in Linux Mint

Disable Admin Password in Linux Mint — Simple Guide

This shows how to stop Linux Mint from asking for the admin password in three places: terminal (sudo), windows and apps (GUI), and optionally at login.

Important: Without passwords, anyone using your PC can change or break the system. Only do this on a private computer you trust. Always use visudo for sudo changes so you don’t lock yourself out.

Why people remove these passwords

Speed and comfort — fewer popups when installing apps, updates, or changing settings.
Single user at home — only you use the PC, so typing a password feels pointless.
Scripts or automation — some tasks run without a human to type a password (still risky; better to use a dedicated service account or limited sudo rules).
Accessibility — typing passwords often can be hard for some users (a password manager + normal sudo is often safer than full NOPASSWD).
Learning / testing — virtual machines or spare laptops where security is less important.

Why you should not remove them (or only part of them)

Shared or family PC — guests, children, or other accounts could change or break the system by mistake or on purpose.
Laptop or portable PC — if it’s lost or stolen, auto-login + no admin checks makes abuse much easier (disk encryption still helps the disk; the running session does not).
Malware — a password is one extra step before software can install drivers or system-wide changes. Removing it removes that step.
Work or school machines — often against policy; ask IT instead of changing sudo/polkit yourself.
Remote access (SSH, RDP, TeamViewer) — if someone gets into your session, they get instant admin power with no second check.

In the middle (often best): Keep passwords on, but reduce annoyance — e.g. longer sudo “remember” time (timestamp_timeout), only disable GUI prompts or only terminal prompts, or use a strong login password + normal sudo instead of auto-login everywhere.

Three things (simple)

Terminal — edit sudo rules (steps in part 1).
GUI — add a small system rule so apps don’t ask (part 2).
Login screen — optional auto-login (part 3).

Part 1 — Terminal: sudo without password

Replace yourusername with what you see when you run whoami.

Open Terminal.

Run:

sudo visudo -f /etc/sudoers.d/nopasswd-me

Paste this one line, save and close:
```
yourusername ALL=(ALL:ALL) NOPASSWD:ALL
```
(In nano: Ctrl+O, Enter, Ctrl+X.)
Test in a new terminal: sudo ls — it should not ask for a password.

Other way (original post): run sudo visudo, find %sudo ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL, change the last part to NOPASSWD:ALL. The file above is easier to undo.

Softer option: instead of no password, make sudo remember longer — in sudo visudo add: Defaults timestamp_timeout=60 (minutes).

Part 2 — GUI: fewer “authentication” popups

Newer Mint (21+) often uses one folder; older Mint (20) sometimes uses another. Try A first. If popups don’t change after reboot, use B.

A — Older Mint (simple file)

sudo mkdir -p /etc/polkit-1/localauthority/50-local.d

sudo nano /etc/polkit-1/localauthority/50-local.d/disable-password.pkla

Paste, save, reboot:

[Disable password for admin]
Identity=unix-group:sudo
Action=*
ResultActive=yes

```
sudo reboot
```

B — Newer Mint (if A didn’t work)

sudo nano /etc/polkit-1/rules.d/49-nopasswd.rules

Paste, save, reboot:

polkit.addRule(function(action, subject) {
    if (subject.isInGroup("sudo")) {
        return polkit.Result.YES;
    }
});

```
sudo reboot
```

Still asking? Run groups — your user should include sudo. Check for typos. Try the other method (A or B).

Part 3 — Optional: log in without password

This only skips the login screen. It is separate from sudo and GUI rules.

Open Menu → Administration → Login Window.
Pick your user → turn on Automatic Login.
Reboot.

If you use disk encryption, you may still type a password when the PC starts — that’s normal.

Undo (put passwords back)

Sudo: sudo rm /etc/sudoers.d/nopasswd-me (or delete the line you added in visudo).
GUI: delete the file you created (.pkla or .rules), then reboot.
Auto login: turn it off in Login Window.

If something breaks

sudo errors: fix files from a Live USB or use recovery mode; next time use only visudo.
GUI rule useless: reboot; try method A vs B; check spelling in the file.

Remember: Part 1 = terminal. Part 2 = apps. Part 3 = login. You can do only one or two of them if you want.

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Yamin Hossain Shohan

Software Engineer, Researcher & Digital Creator

I'm a researcher, software engineer, and digital creator who uses technology and creativity to make useful tools and create interesting content.

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