SoFunction
Updated on 2025-03-03

Summary of how to view directory size in Linux system

1. Basic usage

1. Check the total size of a specific directory

To view a specific directory (for example, nameddataThe total size of the directory) can be used with the following command:

du -sh /path/to/data
  • Parameter explanation：
    • -s: Summary mode, only displays the total size of the directory, and does not list the size of the subdirectories.
    • -h: Displays sizes in an easy-to-read format, such as KB (kilobyte), MB (megabyte), or GB (gigabyte).
    • /path/to/data: Replace with the actual directory path.

For example, ifdataThe path to the directory is/home/user/data, the command is:

du -sh /home/user/data

The output of this command will be displayeddataThe total size of the directory, such as2.3G, indicating that the directory has a size of 2.3 GB.

2. View the detailed size of the directory and its subdirectories

If you wish to viewdataThe size of the directory and all its subdirectories and files can be used:

du -h /path/to/data
  • This command will be listeddataThe size of each file and subdirectory in the directory is convenient for analyzing which files occupy more space.

For example:

du -h /home/user/data

Possible outputs include:

1.5M    /home/user/data/
2.0M    /home/user/data/subdir1
3.5G    /home/user/data/subdir2

2. View recursively and sort by size

In some cases, we may need to analyze the size of the directory more carefully, and even want to sort the results by size. You can use the following command to implement it:

du -ah /path/to/data | sort -h
  • Parameter explanation：
    • -a: Displays the size of all files and subdirectories.
    • sort -h: Sort in a human-readable format, from small to large.

This method allows you to quickly find the largest file or subdirectory in the directory. For example:

du -ah /home/user/data | sort -h

This command will be listeddataAll files and subdirectories in the directory are arranged in order from small to large.

3. Sorting from large to small

In some cases, we care more about files or directories that take up the most space. Can be usedsortof-rThe options are sorted in reverse, and the command is as follows:

du -ah /path/to/data | sort -hr
  • Parameter explanation：
    • -r: means reverse sorting, that is, from large to small.

For example:

du -ah /home/user/data | sort -hr

After execution, you will see that the largest file or directory is at the top, which is very helpful for quickly freeing up disk space.

4. Use sudo to obtain permissions

You may experience permission issues when viewing the size of certain directories. In this case, you can prepend the commandsudoTo obtain super user permissions. For example:

sudo du -sh /path/to/protected_directory

This ensures that you have access to all required directories.

5. Summary

By using the du command, we can easily view the size of a specific directory in the Linux system, as well as the details of files and subdirectories under that directory. Whether it is aggregating the total size or listing details recursively, du provides flexible options to meet different needs.

Mastering these commands not only helps us monitor disk usage, but also quickly identify and clean unnecessary files when needed and free up disk space. During file management and maintenance, it is a good habit to check disk usage regularly and can effectively prevent system performance from degrading.

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