[[!meta title="Administration password"]]
In Tails, an administration password is required to perform system
administration tasks.
For example:
- To [[install additional software|doc/advanced_topics/additional_software]]
- To [[access the internal hard disks of the computer|doc/encryption_and_privacy/your_data_wont_be_saved_unless_explicitly_asked]]
- To execute commands with sudo
**By default, the administration password is disabled for better security.**
This can prevent an attacker with physical or remote access to your Tails system
to gain administration privileges and perform administration tasks
against your will.
Set up an administration password
=================================
In order to perform administration tasks, you need to set up an administration
password when starting Tails, using [[Tails
Greeter|startup_options#tails_greeter]].
1. When Tails Greeter appears, click on the
[[!img lib/list-add.png alt="Expand" class="symbolic" link="no"]] button.
2. When the Additional Settings dialog appears,
click on Administration Password.
3. Specify a password of your choice in both the
Administration Password and
Confirm text boxes then click
Add.
How to open a root terminal
===========================
To open a root terminal during your working session, you can do any of the following:
- Choose
.
- Execute sudo -i in a terminal.