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How do I change my SMB password?

Author

Penelope Carter

Updated on March 21, 2026

How do I change my SMB password?

In the [global] section of the etc/samba/smb. conf add the following lines and save the file. Now set a users password by changing to that user (su<username>) and typing smbpasswd <username><enter>. Follow the smbpasswd chat to change the Samba password for this user.

Also, how do I reset my SMB password?

He/she can change his/her samba password by running the command "smbpasswd" at a command prompt on the server. Note this is not run with sudo. It will prompt once for the previous samba password and twice for the new one.

Additionally, what is Smbpasswd used for? smbpasswd is the Samba encrypted password file. It contains the username, Unix user id and the SMB hashed passwords of the user, as well as account flag information and the time the password was last changed. This file format has been evolving with Samba and has had several different formats in the past.

One may also ask, where are SMB passwords stored?

Samba stores its encrypted passwords in a file called smbpasswd, which by default resides in the /usr/local/samba/private directory. The smbpasswd file should be guarded as closely as the passwd file; it should be placed in a directory to which only the root user has read/write access.

What is a Windows SMB account?

Stands for "Server Message Block." SMB is a network protocol used by Windows-based computers that allows systems within the same network to share files. Though SMB was originally developed for Windows, it can also be used by other platforms, including Unix and Mac OS X, using a software implementation called Samba.

How do I change a password in Linux?

To change a password on behalf of a user, first sign on or "su" to the "root" account. Then type, ``passwd user'' (where user is the username for the password you are changing). The system will prompt you to enter a password. Passwords do not echo to the screen when you enter them.

What is Smbpasswd?

smbpasswd is the Samba encrypted password file. It contains the username, Unix user id and the SMB hashed passwords of the user, as well as account flag information and the time the password was last changed. This file format has been evolving with Samba and has had several different formats in the past.

How do I add a user to samba?

Here's what you do. Open up a terminal window on your Samba server (or just log in, if it's a headless machine) and issue the following command sudo smbpasswd -a USER (where USER is the username to be added). You will be prompted to enter and verify a new password for the user.

What is Samba in a Windows and Linux environment?

Samba is the standard Windows interoperability suite of programs for Linux and Unix. Since 1992, Samba has provided secure, stable and fast file and print services for all clients using the SMB/CIFS protocol, such as all versions of DOS and Windows, OS/2, Linux and many others.

Is SMB enabled by default?

SMB 2.0 is supported on Windows clients since Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, it is by default enabled. SMB 3.0 is supported on Windows clients since Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012, it is by default enabled. For information on how to enable or disable SMB2.

Is SMB and Samba the same?

Samba is a free software re-implementation of the SMB networking protocol, and was originally developed by Andrew Tridgell. The name Samba comes from SMB (Server Message Block), the name of the standard protocol used by the Microsoft Windows network file system.

How do I tell if SMB protocol is enabled?

How to Determine Enabled SMB Versions
  1. Right click on the Windows start logo and select Windows PowerShell (Admin).
  2. Run one of the following commands in PowerShell: Get-SmbServerConfiguration | Select EnableSMB1Protocol.

Are SMB shares secure?

SMB Encryption can be configured on a per share basis or for the entire file server, and it can be enabled for a variety of scenarios where data traverses untrusted networks. SMB Encryption does not cover security at rest, which is typically handled by BitLocker Drive Encryption.

How does SMB authentication work?

SMB provides an authenticated intercommunication process mechanism to share the files or resources (files, folders, printers) within the server. SMB provides the clients to edit files, delete them, share the files, browse the network, print services, etc over the network.

What is the difference between SMB and CIFS?

CIFS stands for “Common Internet File System.” CIFS is a dialect of SMB. That is, CIFS is a particular implementation of the Server Message Block protocol, created by Microsoft.

What is SMB dialect?

The Server Message Block (SMB) Protocol is a network file sharing protocol, and as implemented in Microsoft Windows is known as Microsoft SMB Protocol. The set of message packets that defines a particular version of the protocol is called a dialect. The Common Internet File System (CIFS) Protocol is a dialect of SMB.

What port does Windows use for file sharing?

Microsoft file sharing SMB: User Datagram Protocol (UDP) ports from 135 through 139 and Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) ports from 135 through 139. Direct-hosted SMB traffic without a network basic input/output system (NetBIOS): port 445 (TCP and UPD).