How to shrink home partition on a running OS (Ubuntu linux)?

unmount gparted

27,097

Basically, you cannot modify the structure of a mounted partition (which you are using).

Home, boot, data partition

So a home partition can typically be unmounted using another user logged in, umount it and modify its structure.

Slash or extended partition when slash mounted on

You have to do this from a live UFD/DVD as you cannot unmount a Linux system partition on an hdd/ssd while it is directly or potentially in use.

As far as file systems are concerned, with Windows use NTFS and with Ubuntu system devices, stay with ext4. If you plan to stay with Windows keep data files on an NTFS system or use extufsd for example.

27,097

Md. Mony

Updated on September 18, 2022

Comments

Md. Mony over 1 year

I want to reduce the home size. So I need to unmount it. How can I do it using gparted?

2) what type of file system is better for accessing both windows and linux.
- user68186 almost 6 years
  
  Welcome to Ask Ubuntu. Please use one question at a time. Your second question is primarily opinion based, and likely to be closed if asked as a separate question.
- Joshua Besneatte almost 6 years
  
  I think you would have to enable root then login as root... if you are logged in as a user your home folder will always be in use. or you can boot from live USB and use gparted there maybe?
- NerdOfLinux almost 6 years
  
  You can access NTFS on Ubuntu, just run: sudo apt install ntfs-3g
- Md. Mony almost 6 years
  
  what will be the better option using ntfs or fat32
- vasilis74 almost 6 years
  
  Obvious, but you cannot use NTFS or Fat32 for /home. Use Live USB to reduce /home. P.S. I never use extended for /home or swap, so I have never reduced them with Live USB. ExFAT is dangerous with Linux! If you intentionally or accidentally do a filesystem check, you could lose all your data, I have done it once...
NerdOfLinux almost 6 years

Reducing the Home partition can't damage the Ubuntu installation if there really is a home partition, and a separate OS partition. Even if there is only one partition, I don't see how shrinking it will cause damage, especially if it is just about 10% full, as the picture shows.
Md. Mony almost 6 years

I have another question, can I increase the size of "extended partition"? and how?
Md. Mony almost 6 years

ok I solve it by using a live CD. Thank you so much.
0xC0000022L almost 6 years

@Md.Mony: if it's another question, make it another question ;)
user68186 almost 6 years

Logging in as another user will not solve the problem, unless the user is root. All other users have their Home folder under /home/user1, /home/user2 etc. The /home partition is mounted and locked whether user1 is logged in or user2 is logged in. Create another user, user3 and she gets /home/user3 as her home. So, you cannot unmount /home unless you enable root login or boot from another drive, such as a Live USB or DVD.
knoftrix about 4 years

@user68186 Users without home directory are possible, so in theory this method should work.
user68186 about 4 years

@SaurabhSingh though it is possible to create an user without a home directory, it is not the default behavior. More importantly this answer does not explain that one needs to create an user without associating the user with the corresponding home directory. Even more importantly the answer does not describe how to create such an user. To be specific, it is not sufficient to have an existing user and adding her to the sudoer group. The answer as it stands should not work.