---
name: "mksmbpasswd"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "samba"
version: "2:4.13.13+dfsg-1~deb11u6"
release: "Debian 11 (Bullseye)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/mksmbpasswd"
---

# mksmbpasswd(8)

formats a /etc/passwd entry for a smbpasswd file

## NAME

mksmbpasswd - formats a /etc/passwd entry for a smbpasswd file

## SYNOPSIS

mksmbpasswd cat /etc/passwd \| /usr/sbin/mksmbpasswd \> /etc/samba/smbpasswd

## DESCRIPTION

**mksmbpasswd** should be used only once, the first time Samba is installed. The idea is to ease accounts creation by transferring all user accounts from  /etc/passwd to /etc/samba/smbpasswd.

Please note that passwords are not transferred automatically from /etc/passwd to the new /etc/samba/smbpasswd file. After running **mksmbpasswd** all accounts are disabled so the system administrator must run smbpasswd for each account that needs to be enable.

## FILES

- /etc/passwd

  System wide accounts file

- /etc/samba/smbpasswd

  Encrypted passwords file for the Samba daemons

## SEE ALSO

[samba(7)](/samba/7.md), [nmbd(8)](/nmbd/8.md), [smbd(8)](/smbd/8.md)

## AUTHOR

Eloy A. Paris \<peloy@debian.org\> (man page based on sendmailconfig's man page by Robert Leslie \<rob@mars.org\>)