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How to Check Disk Space in Linux

Last Updated : 12 Jul, 2025

Efficient disk space management is important for maintaining the performance and stability of your Linux system. Over time, files and applications can fill up your storage, potentially causing slowdowns or errors.

Knowing how to check disk space in Linux helps you monitor usage, prevent issues, and optimize resources. In this guide, we’ll explore five easy methods to check disk space, ensuring your system runs smoothly.

Checking disk space in Linux is essential so that we can prevent storage from filling up and ensure smooth system performance. By regularly checking the disk usage, you can identify potential issues and manage storage effectively. Here are all five commands which was used to check disk space in Linux

The `df` command, short for “disk-free,” is a tool for displaying available and used disk space on your Linux system. It’s very simple in both usage and reporting

df [OPTIONS]

Here are some common options you can use with the df command:

Option

Description

-h

Human-readable output (e.g., KB, MB, GB).

--help

Display help information.

-T

Display the file system type.

-a

Display information about all file systems, including those with 0 blocks.

-i

Display inode information instead of block usage.

-k

Display block counts in 1K-byte blocks.

-m

Display block counts in megabytes.

-B <size>

Specify the block size to use.

--total

Display a total summary line.

--version

Display version information.

--sync

Invoke sync before getting usage info.

This option presents disk space information in a human-readable format. It displays sizes in gigabytes (GB), megabytes (MB), or kilobytes (KB) for easy comprehension. Here's an example:

df -h

• Filesystem: Name of the file system or disk partition.
• Size: Total size of the file system or partition.
• Used: Amount of space already consumed.
• Avail: Available or free space on the file system.
• Use%: Percentage of used space relative to the total size.
• Mounted on: Directory where the file system is mounted in the system.

If you want to check the disk space from Specific Drive use the below command which show the drive at /dev/sda1.

df -H /dev/nvme0n1

While df checks drives, du checks folders and files. The `du` command is used to analyze the disk usage of files, folders, and directories on your Linux system.

Syntax:

du <options> <location of directory or file>

The -h option shows disk usage in a human-readable format for all directories and subdirectories. Here's an example:

du -h /home/administrator/Documents/

Here you can replace "/home/administrator/Documents/" with your desider directory.

If you want to check the folder size in linux so use the below command:

du -sh /home/yourname/Documents  

• -s: Summarizes the total (no endless file lists).
• -h: Human-readable sizes (e.g., "2.5G").

pydf is a Linux command written in Python that display the disk usage space in a colorful and readable format. It is an easy-to-use replacement for the df command since it makes disk management more convenient with the use of colors. Utilize the following command below to monitor your disk space effectively:

pydf

Example:

The `fdisk -l` command shows disk size and partitioning information, helping you understand your storage configuration.

sudo fdisk -l

The lsblk command in Linux lists information about block devices (like hard drives, SSDs, and their partitions) in a tree-like structure.

lsblk

Example:

The lsblk command showing the details like device names, major/minor numbers, sizes, types, read-only attributes, and mount points. While it doesn’t show precise disk usage, it excels in visualizing the relationship between devices and their partitions.

To calculate unallocated space, add up the sizes of all partitions and subtract this sum from the total size of the drive. This gives a clear idea of unused space on the device.

• Shell Script to Check Disk Space Usage
• How to Check the Size of a Directory in Linux
• How to Check Swap Space in Linux
• Discus – Show Colourised Disk Space Usage in Linux

Regularly check disk space in Linux is crucial for maintaining your system's performance and avoiding unexpected storage issues. With the methods outlined in this article, including commands like df, du, pydf, fdisk -l, and lsblk, you can effectively monitor and manage your disk usage. Each tool offers unique insights, from a high-level overview to detailed partition layouts.

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