Check Disk Space in Ubuntu 14.10 - A Quick Guide
Checking Disk Space in Ubuntu
Within the Windows operating system, determining available disk space is straightforward using Windows Explorer. Each connected device displays its total capacity and the amount of free space. But how is this accomplished on an Ubuntu system?
This article will demonstrate a couple of readily available programs within Ubuntu that reveal your remaining hard disk space. Importantly, these programs are automatically installed during the initial Ubuntu installation process, eliminating the need for separate downloads. A single, minor program installation is required, but it’s a swift and uncomplicated procedure.
NOTE: When instructions involve typing, text enclosed in quotation marks should be entered directly, without including the quotes themselves, unless explicitly stated.
Using System Monitor
The first tool is System Monitor. To launch this application, click the topmost button located on the Unity bar.
Type "system monitor" into the Search box. As you input the text, relevant applications will appear below. Select the System Monitor icon to open the program.
Navigate to the File Systems tab within System Monitor. Here, you can view the Total space of your hard drive, the Available space, the amount of space currently Used, and the percentage of disk space utilized.
While this information is helpful, a more granular view is sometimes desired. The subsequent tool will offer a more detailed analysis of your hard disk.
Utilizing Disk Usage Analyzer
Disk Usage Analyzer (formerly known as Baobab) also provides insights into disk space usage and total capacity. Access this program through the Search box on the Unity bar, typing "Disk Usage Analyzer". Upon opening, you’ll be presented with a view of all Devices and locations.
Selecting a device or location will reveal more specific details about that item.
Before delving into the details, you may encounter a message, as illustrated below. This message appears when Disk Usage Analyzer is launched without root, or administrative, privileges. To fully leverage Disk Usage Analyzer’s capabilities, we’ll demonstrate how to access it with elevated privileges. Click the X button in the top-left corner to close the program.
Gaining Root Privileges
To run the program with root privileges, a small utility called "gksu" is required. This utility functions similarly to "sudo," which has been used in other Ubuntu guides, and is utilized below to temporarily obtain root access for installing programs or performing tasks. Install gksu by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T to open a Terminal window.
sudo apt-get install gksu
Enter your user password at the prompt (not the root password) and press Enter.
The installation progress will be displayed, followed by a message indicating the amount of disk space that will be used. Type "y" and press Enter to confirm the installation.
Once the installation is complete, type the following command and press Enter to launch Disk Usage Analyzer:
gksu baobab
Enter your password (again, not the root password) in the dialog box and click OK.
Analyzing Disk Usage
Upon reaching the Devices and locations screen in Disk Usage Analyzer, select the drive or device for which you require more information. A window will appear displaying a tree structure on the left, representing the folders on your hard drive. This structure shows the percentage of total space each folder occupies, the size of each folder, and the number of items within each folder. The right side of the window features a rings chart illustrating disk usage.
Clicking on sections of the ring or folders in the tree allows you to drill down and identify which folders are consuming the most space.
Two buttons are located in the bottom-right corner of the window. The left button, selected by default, displays the rings chart. Clicking the right button switches to a treemap chart.
The treemap chart resembles a Windows program, SpaceSniffer, that analyzes disk space usage. While it doesn’t explicitly display folder/file names and sizes within the boxes, the area of each box is proportional to the corresponding folder or file size on the hard disk. Clicking on boxes or folders in the tree enables further investigation.
Close Disk Usage Analyzer by clicking the X in the upper-left corner of the window.
These two programs provide valuable tools for monitoring your hard disk space, alerting you when it’s necessary to delete, archive, or uninstall programs to free up space.