bulletinmybeard/fix-for-sudo-command-error-unable-to-initialize-pam-no-such-file-or-directory.md

## fix-for-sudo-command-error-unable-to-initialize-pam-no-such-file-or-directory.md

      
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              fix-for-sudo-command-error-unable-to-initialize-pam-no-such-file-or-directory.md
            
          
    In most cases, the sudo command displays the error unable to initialize PAM: No such file or directory mostly appears when the pluggable authentication module file /etc/pam.d/sudo has been edited with a typo or an incorrect PAM module.
Via Single-User-Mode > Terminal

If you have an older Mac, you can boot into single-user mode, which allows you to access the command line mode of macOS directly, bypassing the UI.


Press and hold down the COMMAND + S keys until you see commands being executed in the Terminal.


Open the sudo file with vi /Volumes/Macintosh\ - Data/etc/pam.d/, fix what's wrong, save and close the file by switching from INSERT to the COMMAND mode with the ESC key, type :wq!, and hit enter.


Close the Terminal via the menu from the top of the screen


Restart your machine


Back into the UI, open your Terminal, and verify the file content fix with cat /etc/pam.d/sudo. If everything looks good, give it a try by running: sudo whoami.


Via Recovery Mode > Terminal

On modern M1 Silicon machines, there is no single-user mode available, which is why the following steps differ here.


Boot into recovery mode by pressing and holding the power button on your Mac until you see Loading startup options.


Click on Options, and then click on Continue.


If requested, enter the password for an administrator account. This will take you to the macOS Utilities screen.


Go to "Disk Utility" and check if "Macintosh - Data" is mounted; if not, mount it by clicking the "Mount" button in the top right corner.


Close "Disk Utility" and return to "macOS Utilities".


Access the Terminal by selecting it from the menu at the top of the screen and launch the Terminal.


Open the sudo file with vi /Volumes/Macintosh\ - Data/etc/pam.d/, correct any errors, save and close the file by switching from INSERT to the COMMAND mode using the ESC key, typing :wq!, and pressing enter.


Close the Terminal using the menu at the top of the screen


Restart your machine


Go back to the UI, open your Terminal, and verify the file content fix with cat /etc/pam.d/sudo. If everything looks good, give it a try by running: sudo whoami.


Cheers \w