sudo: command not found — how to fix

bash: sudo: command not found
/bin/sh: 1: sudo: not found
sudo: apt-get: command not found

Quick fix: If sudo itself is missing: become root (su -, or in Docker you are usually root already) and run apt-get update && apt-get install -y sudo (Alpine: apk add sudo), then usermod -aG sudo <user>. If it's sudo: <cmd>: command not found, use the full path (sudo $(which cmd)) or add its directory to secure_path with visudo.

What it means

There are two different errors that look alike:

1. bash: sudo: command not found: the sudo program doesn't exist on this system (or isn't on PATH).
2. sudo: npm: command not found: sudo works, but it runs commands with its own restricted PATH (secure_path) and can't find the program.

Case 1: sudo isn't installed

In a Docker container

Most base images (debian, ubuntu, node, python, alpine) don't ship sudo, and you are already root by default. Just drop sudo:

RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y curl

Check with whoami or id -u (0 = root). If the image switches to a non-root USER, do root work before that line, or switch back temporarily:

USER root
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y curl
USER app

To run commands as root in a running container: docker exec -u 0 -it <container> bash.

On a minimal Debian (or other) install

Debian doesn't install sudo if you set a root password during installation. Become root and install it:

su -                      # enter the ROOT password
apt-get update
apt-get install -y sudo
usermod -aG sudo yourname
exit

Log out and back in (group membership is read at login), then test with sudo -v.

Other distros:

dnf install -y sudo && usermod -aG wheel yourname      # Fedora/RHEL
apk add sudo && adduser yourname wheel && echo '%wheel ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL' > /etc/sudoers.d/wheel   # Alpine
pacman -S sudo                                          # Arch (then enable %wheel in visudo)

Use su - rather than plain su: the dash gives you root's PATH including /usr/sbin, otherwise usermod itself may be "command not found".

Installed, but not on PATH

If /usr/bin/sudo exists but the shell can't find it, your PATH is broken (often after editing ~/.bashrc). Check echo $PATH, run /usr/bin/sudo directly, and fix the line that overwrites PATH (use export PATH="$HOME/bin:$PATH", not export PATH="$HOME/bin").

Case 2: sudo: <command>: command not found

sudo resets PATH to secure_path from /etc/sudoers (typically /usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin). Tools installed under your home directory, such as nvm's node/npm, pyenv, ~/.local/bin, ~/go/bin or ~/.cargo/bin, aren't on it.

Options, best first:

• Don't use sudo for user-level tools. With nvm, npm install -g doesn't need sudo.
• Use the full path: sudo "$(which npm)" install -g pm2.
• Pass your PATH for one command: sudo env "PATH=$PATH" npm install -g pm2.
• Add the directory permanently with sudo visudo (edit the Defaults secure_path= line).

For the general case of a missing program, see command not found.

Last updated 2026-11-08.