Managing user accounts is one of the first things you’ll do on a new server. Whether you’re setting up an EC2 instance, a WSL environment, or any Ubuntu machine, the commands are the same. This guide covers how to add and delete users on Ubuntu, grant sudo access, set up SSH keys for new users, and list existing accounts.
The examples here are run on WSL2 Ubuntu in Windows, but they work identically on EC2 instances and any other Ubuntu system.
Adding a User
Use adduser to create a new account. It creates the home directory, sets the shell, and prompts you for a password:
sudo adduser deployYou’ll be prompted to set a password and enter optional info (full name, phone, etc.). Press Enter to skip the optional fields.
Verify the account was created:
id deployuid=1001(deploy) gid=1001(deploy) groups=1001(deploy)adduser vs useradd
Ubuntu has two commands for creating users:
| Command | What It Does |
|---|---|
adduser | Interactive — creates home directory, sets shell, prompts for password. Use this for regular user creation. |
useradd | Low-level — does the bare minimum. No home directory or password unless you pass flags. Used in scripts. |
Stick with adduser for interactive use. Use useradd in automation scripts where you want full control over the flags.
Granting Sudo Access
Add the user to the sudo group so they can run commands as root:
sudo usermod -aG sudo deploy-a— append (don’t replace existing groups)-G sudo— add to thesudogroup
Verify by switching to the new user and running a sudo command:
su - deploy
sudo whoamiIf it returns root, sudo access is working. Only grant sudo to users who actually need it.
Setting Up SSH Access for the New User
On EC2 or any remote server, you’ll want the new user to log in via SSH key instead of a password. As root or a sudo user, create the .ssh directory and authorized_keys file for the new user:
sudo mkdir -p /home/deploy/.ssh
sudo nano /home/deploy/.ssh/authorized_keysPaste the user’s public key (their id_ed25519.pub or id_rsa.pub contents), save, and set the correct permissions:
sudo chmod 700 /home/deploy/.ssh
sudo chmod 600 /home/deploy/.ssh/authorized_keys
sudo chown -R deploy:deploy /home/deploy/.sshThe user can now SSH in with ssh deploy@your-server-ip. For a full walkthrough of SSH key setup, see How to Setup Passwordless SSH Login on EC2 Ubuntu 22.04.
Listing Users
To see all user accounts on the system:
cut -d: -f1 /etc/passwdThis lists every account, including system accounts. To show only users with a login shell (real human accounts):
grep -E '/bin/(bash|sh|zsh)' /etc/passwd | cut -d: -f1To check which groups a specific user belongs to:
groups deployDeleting a User
Remove a user account but keep their home directory and files:
sudo deluser deployTo remove the user and delete their home directory and mail spool:
sudo deluser --remove-home deployVerify the user is gone:
id deployThis should return id: 'deploy': no such user.
deluser vs userdel
Similar to the add commands, Ubuntu provides two options:
| Command | What It Does |
|---|---|
deluser | Higher-level, Ubuntu-friendly. Handles group cleanup. Use --remove-home to delete files. |
userdel | Low-level. Use -r to remove home directory. Used in scripts. |
Quick Reference
| Task | Command |
|---|---|
| Add a user | sudo adduser username |
| Grant sudo access | sudo usermod -aG sudo username |
| Check user info | id username |
| List all login users | grep -E '/bin/(bash|sh|zsh)' /etc/passwd | cut -d: -f1 |
| Delete user (keep files) | sudo deluser username |
| Delete user + home directory | sudo deluser --remove-home username |
| Change user’s password | sudo passwd username |
| Lock a user account | sudo usermod -L username |
| Unlock a user account | sudo usermod -U username |
Conclusion
Use adduser to create accounts, usermod -aG sudo to grant admin access, and deluser --remove-home to clean up accounts you no longer need. These commands work the same on EC2, WSL, and any Ubuntu installation.
If you’re setting up a fresh EC2 instance, see How to deploy EC2 Ubuntu 22.04 LTS on AWS. For WSL setup, check out How to Install Ubuntu 20.04 or 22.04 in WSL 2 on Windows 10.
