Ubuntu 20.04 user not listed to login

Question

I recently upgraded to Ubuntu 20.04 and today, after turning on my computer, by default, Ubuntu showed that welcome screen where you create your user and whatever. I thought my OS crashed because it did not show the login screen.

So I created a new user, and noted that all my applications were already installed in this distro, so I clicked on logout, and to login again, my real user was not listed, but if I click on "Not listed?" and type my credentials, I can log in normally into my current user.

Pretty weird.

This is my Settings > User page, this user on the print is the one I created, but the one that's my real user which I am logged in rn, it's not here aswell.

Have anyone faced this issue before?

Edit1 - my /etc/passwd

root:x:0:0:root:/root:/usr/bin/zsh
daemon:x:1:1:daemon:/usr/sbin:/usr/sbin/nologin
bin:x:2:2:bin:/bin:/usr/sbin/nologin
sys:x:3:3:sys:/dev:/usr/sbin/nologin
sync:x:4:65534:sync:/bin:/bin/sync
games:x:5:60:games:/usr/games:/usr/sbin/nologin
man:x:6:12:man:/var/cache/man:/usr/sbin/nologin
lp:x:7:7:lp:/var/spool/lpd:/usr/sbin/nologin
mail:x:8:8:mail:/var/mail:/usr/sbin/nologin
news:x:9:9:news:/var/spool/news:/usr/sbin/nologin
uucp:x:10:10:uucp:/var/spool/uucp:/usr/sbin/nologin
proxy:x:13:13:proxy:/bin:/usr/sbin/nologin
www-data:x:33:33:www-data:/var/www:/usr/sbin/nologin
backup:x:34:34:backup:/var/backups:/usr/sbin/nologin
list:x:38:38:Mailing List Manager:/var/list:/usr/sbin/nologin
irc:x:39:39:ircd:/var/run/ircd:/usr/sbin/nologin
gnats:x:41:41:Gnats Bug-Reporting System (admin):/var/lib/gnats:/usr/sbin/nologin
nobody:x:65534:65534:nobody:/nonexistent:/usr/sbin/nologin
systemd-network:x:100:102:systemd Network Management,,,:/run/systemd:/usr/sbin/nologin
systemd-resolve:x:101:103:systemd Resolver,,,:/run/systemd:/usr/sbin/nologin
systemd-timesync:x:102:104:systemd Time Synchronization,,,:/run/systemd:/usr/sbin/nologin
messagebus:x:103:106::/nonexistent:/usr/sbin/nologin
syslog:x:104:110::/home/syslog:/usr/sbin/nologin
_apt:x:105:65534::/nonexistent:/usr/sbin/nologin
tss:x:106:111:TPM software stack,,,:/var/lib/tpm:/bin/false
uuidd:x:107:114::/run/uuidd:/usr/sbin/nologin
tcpdump:x:108:115::/nonexistent:/usr/sbin/nologin
avahi-autoipd:x:109:116:Avahi autoip daemon,,,:/var/lib/avahi-autoipd:/usr/sbin/nologin
usbmux:x:110:46:usbmux daemon,,,:/var/lib/usbmux:/usr/sbin/nologin
rtkit:x:111:117:RealtimeKit,,,:/proc:/usr/sbin/nologin
dnsmasq:x:112:65534:dnsmasq,,,:/var/lib/misc:/usr/sbin/nologin
cups-pk-helper:x:113:120:user for cups-pk-helper service,,,:/home/cups-pk-helper:/usr/sbin/nologin
speech-dispatcher:x:114:29:Speech Dispatcher,,,:/run/speech-dispatcher:/bin/false
avahi:x:115:121:Avahi mDNS daemon,,,:/var/run/avahi-daemon:/usr/sbin/nologin
kernoops:x:116:65534:Kernel Oops Tracking Daemon,,,:/:/usr/sbin/nologin
saned:x:117:123::/var/lib/saned:/usr/sbin/nologin
nm-openvpn:x:118:124:NetworkManager OpenVPN,,,:/var/lib/openvpn/chroot:/usr/sbin/nologin
hplip:x:119:7:HPLIP system user,,,:/run/hplip:/bin/false
whoopsie:x:120:125::/nonexistent:/bin/false
colord:x:121:126:colord colour management daemon,,,:/var/lib/colord:/usr/sbin/nologin
geoclue:x:122:127::/var/lib/geoclue:/usr/sbin/nologin
pulse:x:123:128:PulseAudio daemon,,,:/var/run/pulse:/usr/sbin/nologin
gnome-initial-setup:x:124:65534::/run/gnome-initial-setup/:/bin/false
gdm:x:125:130:Gnome Display Manager:/var/lib/gdm3:/bin/false
jvbs:x:1000:1000:João Vitor,,,:/home/jvbs:/usr/bin/zsh
nvidia-persistenced:x:126:133:NVIDIA Persistence Daemon,,,:/nonexistent:/usr/sbin/nologin
systemd-coredump:x:999:999:systemd Core Dumper:/:/usr/sbin/nologin
mysql:x:127:135:MySQL Server,,,:/nonexistent:/bin/false
joaovitor:x:1001:1001:João Vitor,,,:/home/joaovitor:/bin/bash

Thanks!

Solution

I had the same issue.

To fix that I did these steps in a terminal:

• sudo su we need to be superuser
• cd /var/lib/AccountsService/users here we go to the service that shows users, issue is here (at least in my case)
• you should see multiple files, one for each of your users, including the old one that is not showed in your screen. In this file check the value of SystemAccount. If it's true, then this is the issue: it should be false.
• if it does not help you, simply check differences between users files, the one that works with ones that don't. Also check that Icon path is correct.
• don't forget to exit su, and reboot after each try. Good luck, it took 3h digging before a fixed my issue.

Comments

[schrodingerscatcuriosity]

So I can replicate the behaviour editing the /etc/passwd file. Could you post it? cat /etc/passwd and copy paste the lines of the users in question.

[João Vitor]

included in my question @schrodigerscatcuriosity

[João Vitor]

my default user is jvbs

[schrodingerscatcuriosity]

Well ,as you can see in this line: jvbs:x:1000:1000:João Vitor,,,:/home/jvbs:/usr/bin/zsh default shell is zsh. I tested with a dummy user, and changing :/bin/bash to :/usr/bin/zsh, it disapperared. Changing :/usr/bin/zsh to :/bin/bash made appear it again. Be very careful on editing this file!

[schrodingerscatcuriosity]

Use sudo vipw to edit the file.

[João Vitor]

I used nano to edit with sudo, if i cat the file, it is just like the last user :/bin/bash, and restarted the computer, but stills not showing... is there any step im missing?

[João Vitor]

even correcting it, the problem persists..

[schrodingerscatcuriosity]

As I understand, you can login with the user jvbs, is that right? If so, what happens if you type echo $SHELL?

[João Vitor]

it returns /bin/bash

[schrodingerscatcuriosity]

Try using chsh and enter /bin/bash (it will appear as the default I know, but maybe chsh changes some key configurations that editing /etc/passwd does not).

[schrodingerscatcuriosity]

Then logout and login, no need of restarting.

[João Vitor]

I did it, just pressed enter for default, logged out and in, but it keeps not listing my user

[schrodingerscatcuriosity]

I'm running out of ideas... I adviced you to ask in askubuntu when you posted in unix & linux... but now I'm not so sure. If you think you'll be luckier asking there, maybe you should, but you would have to delete this question here to avoid cross posting. Sorry I coulnd't help you so far.

[João Vitor]

Dont worry, ty so much!! I'll keep a bit more here to see if anyone else interacts!

[Rickythegamer20]

jaovitor:x:1001:1001 to jaovitor:x:1000:1000 . I forgot to search your password file

[MatayoshiMariano]

This fixed the issue for me! You're a life saver!

[0atman]

This also fixed it for me!

[Iago Leão]

I my case, I need change default shell the user from zsh to bash using the command sudo chsh -s /bin/bash <username> before follow this tip

[Leo Simon]

Worked for me also, thanks so much!

[Markus Zeller]

My account also became a system account, but how? Because of do_release_upgrade? Changing it's value to false solved it.

[ChanganAuto]

Please don't add "thank you" as an answer. Once you have sufficient reputation, you will be able to vote up questions and answers that you found helpful. - From Review

[penny]

Please don't add "thank you" as an answer..... Well my comment was not a thank you only. I wanted to emphasize that the issue is actually related to zsh,,, I hope that someone fixes the root cause. My comment also emphasize that the issue is still happening in 2022.

[ChanganAuto]

Either way the purpose of "answers" should be self-explanatory. Comments are comments, not answers.