How To Move Home Directory To New Partition Or Disk In Linux

If you’re running low on space or setting up a more efficient Linux system, moving your /home directory to a separate partition or disk is a smart move. It keeps user data separate from system files, making upgrades and backups simpler. Here’s a step-by-step guide to do it safely.

Why Move /home?

• Separate user data from system files
• Simpler OS reinstalls and upgrades
• Improved disk space management
• Easier backups and recovery

What You’ll Need

• A new partition or disk ready to use
• Root or sudo access
• A reliable backup (always have one)

Step 1: Prepare the New Partition or Disk

First, find the new disk or partition using:

lsblk

If the new disk isn’t formatted yet, format it with a Linux filesystem (e.g., ext4):

sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdXn

Replace /dev/sdXn with your actual partition name.

Create a mount point:

sudo mkdir /mnt/newhome

Mount the new partition:

sudo mount /dev/sdXn /mnt/newhome

Step 2: Copy /home to the New Location

Use rsync to preserve permissions, symlinks, and ownerships:

sudo rsync -avx /home/ /mnt/newhome/

Double-check the contents with:

ls /mnt/newhome

Step 3: Update /etc/fstab

Find the UUID of the new partition:

sudo blkid /dev/sdXn

Edit /etc/fstab:

sudo nano /etc/fstab

Add a line like this at the end:

UUID=your-uuid-here /home ext4 defaults 0 2

Replace your-uuid-here with the actual UUID from blkid.

Step 4: Finalize the Move

Before rebooting, rename your current /home and mount the new one:

sudo mv /home /home.bak
sudo mkdir /home
sudo mount -a

If all went well:

ls /home

You should see your users’ home directories.

Step 5: Reboot and Clean Up

Now reboot:

sudo reboot

If everything works fine, you can delete the old /home backup:

sudo rm -rf /home.bak

Troubleshooting Tips

• If something goes wrong, you can restore the old home with: sudo rm -rf /home sudo mv /home.bak /home
• Double-check fstab syntax. A bad line can prevent your system from booting.

Final Thoughts

Moving /home to a separate partition is a one-time effort that pays off with better organization and peace of mind. Just remember to back up, double-check each step, and never rush.

Got questions or hit a snag? Drop a comment below.