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How can I find out what is taking up all the space on my Linux server?

Last updated: 07/01/2009

Use the "du" command. You will need shell access to do this. Assuming you want to track down space used on /home, do the following:

# cd /home
# du -sk *
  (The output is in K, so 1000 = 1MB, 1000000 = 1 GB)
  Determine the biggest directories, and start drilling down
# cd (big directory)
# du -sk *
# ls -l (to see actual file sizes once you drill down far enough)

Repeat the process until you are far enough down to see the offending files.

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How can I find out what is taking up all the space on my Linux server?