Disk Usage Command Documentation

1. Command to Check Disk Usage in Home Directory

du -h --max-depth=1 ~/

Description:

This command displays the disk usage of each directory within the home directory. It provides a summary of the space used by each directory, making it easier to identify large directories at a glance.

Options:

• du: Disk usage command.
• -h: Human-readable format. Sizes are displayed in KB, MB, GB, etc.
• --max-depth=1: Limits the output to directories directly within the specified directory (~/), without diving into subdirectories.
• ~/: Represents the user's home directory.

Example Output:

1.5G    /home/user/Documents
2.3G    /home/user/Downloads
500M    /home/user/Pictures

Usage Notes:

• This command helps in understanding the space distribution among directories in your home directory.
• For more detailed analysis, you can increase the --max-depth value to explore subdirectories.

2. Command to List Directories or Files Larger Than 10 GB

du -h --max-depth=1 ~/ | grep '^[0-9\.]\+G'

Description:

This command filters the output of du to display only directories or files in the home directory that are using more than 10 GB of space. It helps in identifying large directories or files that may need attention.

Options:

• du -h --max-depth=1 ~/: Same as the previous command; lists disk usage for directories directly within the home directory in a human-readable format.
• grep '^[0-9\.]\+G': Filters the output to show only lines where the size is specified in gigabytes (GB).

Example Output:

15G    /home/user/large_directory
12G    /home/user/another_large_directory

Usage Notes:

• This command is useful for pinpointing large directories or files that could be consuming significant disk space.
• If you want to filter by a different size threshold, you can adjust the grep pattern accordingly.