Enable Asterisk (*) Feedback When Typing sudo Password in Linux Terminal

By default, when you run a sudo command in most Linux distributions, nothing appears on screen as you type your password (no characters, no asterisks). This is a deliberate security feature to prevent shoulder-surfing from revealing the password length.

Many users prefer visual feedback (showing * for each character typed). This is easy to enable using the pwfeedback option in the sudoers file.

Note: In very recent Ubuntu versions (26.04+), or if using sudo-rs (Rust-based sudo), this may already be enabled by default.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Open the sudoers file safely
   Always use visudo — it checks syntax before saving to prevent locking yourself out.

   sudo visudo
   

   (You will be prompted for your password — nothing will show as you type it yet.)

2. Locate the relevant line
   Look for this line (usually near the top of the file):

   Defaults    env_reset
   

   • It may appear with tabs/spaces or slightly different formatting.
   • If you don't see it, you can add a new line at the end of the file instead.

3. Enable password feedback
   Modify the line to include ,pwfeedback (no space before or after the comma):

   Defaults    env_reset,pwfeedback
   

   Example of how it should look:

   #
   # This file MUST be edited with the 'visudo' command as root.
   #
   # See the man page for details on how to write a sudoers file.
   #
   Defaults        env_reset,pwfeedback
   

   Optional customization (advanced):
   You can change the feedback character (default is *):

   Defaults pwfeedback="*"
   Defaults pwfeedback="."
   Defaults pwfeedback="-"
   

4. Save and exit

   • If using nano (default on many distros):
     Ctrl + O → Enter → Ctrl + X
   • If using vi/vim:
     Press Esc, then type :wq and press Enter

5. Apply the change

   • Close and reopen your terminal, or open a new tab/window.

   • Test it:

     sudo ls
     

   You should now see an asterisk (*) for each character you type when prompted for your password.

Reverting the Change

To disable asterisks again, use sudo visudo and remove ,pwfeedback from the line (or delete the line if you added it separately).

Security Considerations

• Showing feedback reveals password length — a minor risk in most desktop/home scenarios, but something to consider in shared or high-security environments.
• Always use visudo — never edit /etc/sudoers directly.
• This setting only affects the terminal-based sudo prompt (not GUI password dialogs).

Troubleshooting

• Nothing happens? Make sure there are no spaces around the comma in env_reset,pwfeedback.
• Syntax error on save? visudo will warn you — fix the line and try again.
• Using sudo-rs? Recent versions show asterisks by default — no change needed.
• Still no feedback? Log out and back in, or reboot (rarely needed).

Enjoy a slightly friendlier sudo experience!
Questions or issues? Feel free to open a discussion or issue on this repo.

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