Unlike Windows, the Linux operating system is not so popular, but every year there are more and more users. The two systems listed above are quite different from each other, so at first glance, such a simple action as checking free disk space in Linux causes a lot of problems. The article will just tell you how to do this.
How to find out free disk space on Linux
Unlike the same Windows, in Linux there are several ways to complete the task. For this you can use special programs that support graphical display of data and directly the “Terminal”, with which you can perform, in general, any action with the system.
Method 1: using graphics programs
Most users prefer to use GUI programs to check for free disk space on Linux. Moreover, there are a lot of varieties, starting from standard system ones and ending with specially installed ones from repositories.
GParted
GParted is perhaps the most powerful tool for working with disks. By the way, the program works not only in the environment of the Linux operating system, it can also be installed in Windows.
In most distributions, GParted is preinstalled, however, if you did not find it on the system, you can install it using one simple command:
sudo apt install gparted
You can also run the program from the "Terminal", just enter the gparted-pkexec command. Immediately after that, a program window will appear in which you can see the amount of free disk space in Linux.
As you can see, in the upper part of the program window there is a graph showing the number of sections and their volume. To find out more detailed information, you should turn to the bottom where all the sections, their file systems, mount points and size, both general and used, are painted.
System monitor
If checking the free disk space in Linux using GParted seemed to you inconvenient or you could not install the program itself in the system, then it will be possible to use the System Monitor utility. It is preinstalled in all distributions without exception, so you do not need to install anything.
- Search the system for "System Monitor."
- In the results, run the program of the same name.
- A window will appear in which you need to go to the "File Systems" section.
It is here that you can see how many partitions are on the disk, what each of them has memory capacity, as well as the space occupied by files. Of course, the information is provided an order of magnitude less than in GParted, but it turns out to find out free disk space in Linux. Accordingly, the utility copes with the task.
File manager
Many users of the Windows operating system are used to checking free disk space through Explorer. The same can be done in Linux, only each distribution has its own file manager. This article will discuss an example with Nautilus, but the instruction will be common to others.
- Launch the file manager window.
- Go to the directory whose volume you want to know.
- Click on the free space of RMB.
- In the menu that appears, select "Properties" or "View."
A window will appear in which all the necessary information will be displayed. You can find out the total volume of the partition and the amount of occupied space, respectively, based on these values, you can calculate how much free space is left on the disk.
Baobab
There is another program that allows you to find out the amount of free disk space. Perhaps it surpasses all of the above in terms of convenience and visibility. And her name is Baobab. It is not preinstalled on all Linux operating systems, so now we’ll figure out how to install this software.
- Open the application manager. Most often, its icon is located by default on the taskbar.
- In the search bar, which is often located at the top right, enter the name of the program you are looking for.
- In the search results, click on the program icon to go to the download page.
- Click "Install" and enter the password for the system if necessary.
It remains only to wait for the installation of the program in the system, after which it can be launched. By the way, you can do this right away from the application manager, just click the "Open" button.
As soon as the program window is launched, you can immediately see a list of partitions created on the disk and free space on each of them. But this is not all the features of the program. If you open one of the sections, you will be presented with a detailed diagram, with which you can easily find out the size of each folder on the disk.
Method 2: through the "Terminal"
The DF command can also help you find out free disk space in Linux. Accordingly, it is necessary to use it in the "Terminal".
- Launch the console.
- Run the df-h command.
Immediately after this, a list of all partitions and their volume will appear, respectively, here you can find out how much free space is left on the disk.