How to boot Ubuntu 24.10 in recovery mode?

To boot into recovery mode on Ubuntu 24.10, follow these steps:

Access the GRUB Menu

If you’re using a single-boot system (Ubuntu only), the GRUB menu may not appear by default. You need to trigger it manually.

Turn on or restart your system, and as soon as the manufacturer’s logo shows up, hold or press the Shift key repeatedly.

If that doesn’t work, try holding the Esc key just after the BIOS/UEFI screen disappears.

On dual-boot systems with Windows, GRUB usually appears automatically.

Choose the Advanced Options Entry

Once you’re in the GRUB menu, use the arrow keys to navigate.

Look for:

Advanced options for Ubuntu

Press Enter.

Select the Recovery Mode Kernel

You’ll now see multiple kernel versions with (recovery mode) at the end. For example:

Ubuntu, with Linux 6.8.0-21-generic (recovery mode)

Choose the latest one unless you have a reason to pick an older version. Use arrow keys and press Enter.

Wait for Recovery Menu

Ubuntu will boot into a minimal shell and present the Recovery Menu, which looks like this:

Recovery Menu (Recovery Mode)
resume  Resume normal boot
clean   Try to make free space
dpkg    Repair broken packages
fsck    Check all file systems
root    Drop to root shell prompt
network Enable networking

If you need to fix a broken package, select dpkg.

To enter root mode for manual repairs or password resets, choose root.

Enable Networking (Optional)

If your task requires downloading packages or updates, select:

network  Enable networking

It will bring up the network interface, allowing you to use tools like apt.

Drop to Root Prompt

If you want full control for system-level fixes, choose:

root  Drop to root shell prompt

From here, you can run commands like:

mount -o remount,rw /
passwd your_username
reboot

This shell runs as root, so use commands with caution.