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Linux lsblk Guide

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Mattscreative edited this page Dec 5, 2025 · 2 revisions

Linux lsblk Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to lsblk on Linux, covering Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions including listing block devices, device information, and disk management.

Table of Contents

  1. Understanding lsblk
  2. lsblk Basics
  3. lsblk Options
  4. Device Information
  5. Troubleshooting

Understanding lsblk

What is lsblk?

lsblk lists block devices.

Uses:

  • List disks: See all storage devices
  • Device info: Get device details
  • Partition info: View partitions
  • Mount info: See mount points

Why it matters:

  • Disk management: Identify devices
  • Partitioning: Plan disk layout
  • Troubleshooting: Diagnose disk issues

lsblk Basics

List Devices

Basic usage:

# List all block devices
lsblk

# Tree format (default)
lsblk

Output Format

Columns:

  • NAME: Device name
  • MAJ:MIN: Major/minor numbers
  • RM: Removable
  • SIZE: Device size
  • RO: Read-only
  • TYPE: Device type
  • MOUNTPOINT: Mount point

lsblk Options

Output Formats

Different formats:

# List format
lsblk -l

# JSON format
lsblk -J

# Raw format
lsblk -r

Filter Devices

Filter output:

# Show only disks
lsblk -d

# Show specific device
lsblk /dev/sda

# Exclude devices
lsblk -e 7

Device Information

Detailed Information

More details:

# Show filesystem info
lsblk -f

# Show model and serial
lsblk -o NAME,SIZE,MODEL,SERIAL

# Show all columns
lsblk -o NAME,SIZE,TYPE,MOUNTPOINT,FSTYPE,UUID

Tree View

Hierarchical view:

# Tree format
lsblk

# ASCII tree
lsblk -a

Troubleshooting

Device Not Showing

Check system:

# List all devices
lsblk -a

# Check /dev
ls -la /dev/sd*

# Check dmesg
dmesg | grep -i disk

Summary

This guide covered lsblk usage, device listing, and disk information for Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions.

Next Steps

This guide covers Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other Linux distributions. For distribution-specific details, refer to your distribution's documentation.

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