How to add new users in Linux

Linux is a multi-user operating system, allowing numerous users to use the same machine simultaneously. It is therefore the best option for companies and groups that must pool resources and work together on projects. If you would like to add more users to your machine, here is how to do it. This tutorial is made specifically for Ubuntu distribution. Please keep in mind that the options you add to the commands can change from distribution to distribution. The screenshots are taken on Ubuntu 22.10.

Add a new user in Linux

Step 1: Ensure you have root privileges

You should be aware that only root users can add other users to the system. To get root access on a Linux operating system, enter the command:

sudo su

Step 2: Add a new user

To add a new user account to your system, you will need to use the adduser command.

adduser username

Your terminal will become # and after entering your password, this should give you root privileges on operations that are done in the terminal window.

The command “adduser” must be followed by the user’s name in order to add or create a new user, for example:

useradd cloud7news

This command would initiate the process of adding the user “cloud7news” to the system but there are more steps to it.

Step 3: Set a password for the user

To complete adding a user to the system, you will also have to set a password for the user. After entering the commands above, your terminal should look like this:

Step 4: Fill in the details of the user

After setting the password you wish for this user to have, the terminal will ask you for some details about the user. Set the full name, phone numbers, or other to complete creating a new user.

Step 5: Log out and check the new user

Now, exit the terminal and log out to see whether the new user is present on the login screen or not.

Watch how to add users in Linux

Here is a snippet showing the process step by step: