If you're running Linux, keeping an eye on your disk usage is crucial—especially if your storage starts filling up mysteriously. 😱 Fortunately, Linux provides several powerful tools to check disk size, monitor usage, and clean up space when needed. Let's explore some of the best ways to get a disk space reality check and how to hunt down those space-hogging files.
🔍 1. Using df -H (Disk Free)
The df (disk free) command is a quick and easy way to check the size and available space of mounted filesystems.
Run the following command in your terminal:
df -H
This will display something like:
Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/sda1 500G 320G 180G 64% /
tmpfs 4.2G 2.1M 4.2G 1% /dev/shm
/dev/sdb1 2.0T 1.3T 700G 65% /mnt/data
✅ Why use df -H?
✔️ Quick overview of disk usage
✔️ Shows total disk size, used space, and free space
✔️ -H makes the output human-readable (e.g., GB instead of bytes)
📊 2. Checking Disk Usage with btop
For a modern and interactive view of system performance, btop is an awesome tool.
Install btop:
sudo apt install btop -y # Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dnf install btop -y # Fedora/RHEL
Then, simply run:
btop
You'll get a real-time dashboard with CPU, memory, network, and disk usage stats. 🕵️♂️
✅ Why use btop?
✔️ Real-time monitoring of disk usage
✔️ Graphical interface (without needing a GUI)
✔️ Great for tracking disk activity and bottlenecks
If you're running out of space and need to find the biggest offenders, ncdu (NCurses Disk Usage) is the ultimate tool. 🔥
Install ncdu
sudo apt install ncdu -y # Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dnf install ncdu -y # Fedora/RHEL
Run ncdu in the root directory to scan everything:
sudo ncdu /
This will scan your entire system and present a sortable, interactive list of the largest files and directories. You can navigate using the arrow keys and even delete files directly from the interface by pressing d. 🗑️
✅ Why is ncdu the best?
✔️ Faster than du (Disk Usage)
✔️ Sorts files by size automatically
✔️ Interactive interface makes cleanup easy
✔️ Saves time when dealing with full disks
🎯 Wrapping Up
Linux gives you many ways to check your disk usage, but the best approach depends on what you're trying to do:
🛠 Need a quick summary? → Use df -H
📊 Want real-time stats? → Use btop
🔍 Need to track down big files? → Use ncdu
If you're dealing with low disk space, ncdu is the best tool to hunt down and delete unnecessary files. Happy cleaning! 🧹✨
Got questions or need more tips? Drop them below! ⬇️
