Change Forgotten Root Password of ESXi Host

Resetting the root password of an ESXi Web site version 3.5 and above is not possible after installing vmware, and the only way to reset the password for an ESXi host in a secure and supported way by Vendor is to install it. ESXi is reset. However, there are other methods that are not generally recommended and may cause a malfunctioning system, but are possible and appropriate to resolve the problem under a set of specific circumstances.

For example, if your host has the following conditions:

1. Host can be accessed via vCenter. 

2. Have vSphere Enterprise Plus licensing to have access to the Host Profile. By having these 2 features and through access to the Host Profile, you can change the password of each host.

1) Generate Host Profile

Enter the Host Profile from the initial menu (Home page on the Web-based vCenter), click the + sign and select Extract profile from a host.

2) Then select the host you want to change the password for.

3) In the next step, you will be asked to choose a name for your profile and, if necessary, enter the description you want, this description is useful for future access to this profile.

4) After completing the general profile of the profile, finish it.

5) Then select Profile and click on Action, and select Edit Setting in the corresponding menu.

6) Click Next to enter the next page and then unselect all except Security configuration. Then, in the first drop- down menu, select Configure a fixed administrator password. Then enter the new password and click Next and select Finish.

7) By re-selecting Profile and Action, select the Attach / Detach hosts and clusters option to connect the Host to this profile.

- The image below is the Host selection page after selecting this option.

8) After connecting, click on Action to verify the host profile compliance.