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partprobe(8)

Inform the operating system kernel of partition table changes without rebooting.

UbuntuDebianFedoraArch

Synopsis

partprobe [-d] [-s] [DEVICE]...

Description

partprobe is used to inform the kernel about partition table changes. After modifying a partition table with tools like fdisk, parted, or gdisk, the kernel may not immediately recognize the new partitions. partprobe re-reads the partition table and updates the kernel's in-memory partition information without requiring a system reboot.

When no devices are specified, partprobe will probe all devices listed in /proc/partitions. This is particularly useful in virtualized environments and when working with storage devices that need dynamic reconfiguration.

Common options

FlagWhat it does
-dDry-run mode; don't actually inform the kernel, just read and report
-sPrint summary of device geometry and partition table to stdout
-hDisplay help message and exit
-vDisplay version information and exit

Examples

Probe all devices in /proc/partitions to notify kernel of partition changes

sudo partprobe

Inform kernel about changes to the /dev/sda partition table only

sudo partprobe /dev/sda

Show summary of /dev/sdb geometry and partitions after probing

sudo partprobe -s /dev/sdb

Dry-run: check what would happen without actually modifying kernel state

sudo partprobe -d /dev/nvme0n1

Modify partition table with fdisk, then immediately apply changes to running kernel

sudo fdisk /dev/sdc && sudo partprobe /dev/sdc

Probe multiple devices at once to refresh their partition information

sudo partprobe /dev/sda /dev/sdb /dev/sdc

Related commands