Ctrl + alt + f9 not working

[Veir]

So I was looking into ways to reset sudo password without having to factory reset entire Steam Deck and I found many guides that use ctrl alt f9 combination to access root debug shell, but the thing is that nothing happens when I do this combo. Does anyone have any ideas why it could be this way?

I followed the guide below:

1. While the Steam Deck is powered off, hold the 3dots (QAM) and turn on the Steam Deck.

2. The recovery menu will appear. On your keyboard highlight the 3rd option - CURRENT (OS Boot Menu) then press enter.

3. The GRUB menu will appear. Highlight the 1st option - SteamOS then on your keyboard press "e" to edit the boot options.

4. Press down cursor on the keyboard until steamenv_boot is highlighted. Press "end" to go to the end of the line.

5. Enter the command - systemd.debug_shell

6. Press CTRL-X to boot!

7. Once SteamOS loads, press CTL-ALT-F9 on the keyboard to access the root debug shell.

8. Enter the command - passwd deck

9. Enter new password and retype the new password.

10. Once done, press CTL-ALT-F1 on the keyboard to go back to game mode.

[Mr. Doggy]

I was under the impression that 1-6 were alternate shells, and 7 was the GUI. That's how it always worked for me on other Linux systems.

[Restless_Bear]

For me it comes up with a shell but is always spamming something about drm so cannot type anything.

[Korva·YUM® III]

After spending an entire night troubleshooting, the issue turned out to be with the keyboard! [Eye-roll] The Ctrl+Alt+F9 shortcut wasn't working, likely due to a keyboard problem or shortcut conflict. To resolve it, you need to switch to the MacOS layout. Here's how: 1. Press Fn2 (or the Menu key) + M (until the M blinks) to check if F9 still functions as the brightness adjuster for the Steam Deck. 2. If F9 still triggers brightness after switching, return to the Windows layout by pressing Menu (Fn2) + W. I fixed it using the second method. When re-entering and changing the password, remember to press Enter!

[HulkingFish08]

Originally posted by Korva·YUM® III:

After spending an entire night troubleshooting, the issue turned out to be with the keyboard! [Eye-roll] The Ctrl+Alt+F9 shortcut wasn't working, likely due to a keyboard problem or shortcut conflict. To resolve it, you need to switch to the MacOS layout. Here's how: 1. Press Fn2 (or the Menu key) + M (until the M blinks) to check if F9 still functions as the brightness adjuster for the Steam Deck. 2. If F9 still triggers brightness after switching, return to the Windows layout by pressing Menu (Fn2) + W. I fixed it using the second method. When re-entering and changing the password, remember to press Enter!

I know this comment is a half a year old but I'm hoping you can explain this again, I'm having the same issue and I'm not sure what you mean by menu+m. What "M" is supposed to blink?