Ubuntu Tutorials

This post is an update to an article I wrote some years ago. There have been some changes in the configuration between now and then, so I felt this warranted an update. The original article in question is: Clearing or Resetting the GNOME keyring. This article addresses the issue where a user may have forgotten or otherwise become locked out of their keyring. The keyring, of course, allows for the management of SSH, GPG and other keys through a central tool and interface.

The problem

You are prompted by the system to enter your keyring passphrase in order to unlock additional keys. None of your passphrases work–somehow you have become locked out of your keyring. In this situation you may not be able to unlock needed keys, such as passwords, SSH or GPG keys.

The solution

The only solution that I’ve been able to come up with is to delete the keyring contents, including the incorrect or corrupt passphrase. Note: this will destroy all stored keys in the keyring, requiring that they be re-imported. Other than the need to “start over” with the keyring manager, this solution should be otherwise harmless.

Method 1:

It is possible to clobber your keyring passphrase and settings from the Terminal. Open a terminal (Applications > Accessories > Terminal), and run the command:

rm ~/.gnome2/keyrings/login.keyring

On older systems you may need to try:

rm ~/.gnome2/keyrings/default.keyring

Method 2:

The second method bypasses the Terminal and uses the graphical interface strictly. To delete your current keyring, follow the steps below:

1. Navigate to Applications > Accessories > Passwords and Encryption Keys
2. Select the far-right tab “Passwords”
3. Select your keyring
4. Right-click and attempt “Change Password” or, if that doesn’t work, select “Delete”

Additional:

If you continue to have problems I would suggest looking for additional tips in the comments here or here.

UPDATE: Reset GNOME Keyring Password on Ubuntu

I ran into the weirdest problem the other day.  My gnome-keyring prompted me for a keyring password to authorize the use of a key, but didn’t want to take any of my passphases.  I tried any passphrase I could think of to no use.  My gnome-keyring, for whatever reason, was basically useless at this point.

I did a little bit of digging and found a solution here on the Ubuntu Forums.  Let me outline the quick fix if you ever run into the same problem.

Command Line Version

rm ~/.gnome2/keyrings/default.keyring

GUI Version

Navigate to Places > Home.  Press ctrl-h for "hidden files".  Navigate to .gnome2 > keyrings.  Delete default.keyring file.

At this point your gnome-keyring should be toast and you can reset the password on next use.  If anyone has any other ways around resetting the password without destroying the keyring I’m all ears.