by In this quick guide, we will show you how to set a password so you can use sudo on your Steam Deck.
To run commands on your Steam Deck as the root/superuser, you must preface commands with the “sudo” command.
Sudo works by elevating the current user to having the same power as the root user. It is a crucial command when you need to modify any system files. You will also use sudo when installing software such as Decky on your device.
If you are familiar with Windows, the sudo command is a bit like the “Run as Administrator” prompt.
Before using sudo, you must set a password on your Steam Deck. By default, the system comes with no password set.
Luckily setting a password for sudo is a super straightforward process and involves running a single command within the terminal. Furthermore, the “deck” user on your Steam Deck is already set up with superuser privileges, so you don’t have to stress about that.
By the end of the following section, you can use sudo within the terminal.
How to set a Password to use sudo on the Steam Deck
To be able to set a password to use the sudo command on your Steam Deck you will need to open the terminal.
If you are unsure where to find this, please follow our guide on finding the terminal on the Steam Deck.
1. With the terminal on your device, you can now move on to setting a password so that you can utilize sudo on your Steam Deck.
The command you want to run within the terminal is the passwd command. This tool allows you to change the password of the current user.
passwd2. You will now be prompted to enter a new password for the “deck” user on your Steam Deck.
Type in the password you want to use when elevating to superuser on your Steam Deck.
New password:Please note as you type, your password will not appear in the command line.
3. Before the password is set, you will be asked to confirm it.
Type in your password again, then press the ENTER key.
Retype new password:4. If you see the message below, you have successfully set a new password for your “deck” user.
passwd: password updated successfully5. To test that everything works properly, let us try a simple command.
This command doesn’t do anything you couldn’t do without being a superuser, but it tests that the sudo password you set will work on your Steam Deck.
sudo echo "Hello"6. For the command to work, you will now be asked to enter the password you set earlier in this guide.
Type in the password, then press the ENTER key to run the command.
[sudo] password for deck:7. If everything works correctly, you should see the following message appear within Konsole on your device.
HelloConclusion
Hopefully, at this point, you will now understand how to set the password to use sudo on your Steam Deck.
By using sudo on your device, you can run commands as the superuser, allowing you to modify system files.
Please comment below if you have any questions about setting a password for the terminal on your device.
If you found this tutorial helpful, be sure to check out our many other Steam Deck tutorials.
