How To: check and change filesystem label with e2label

Some Linux distros (especially older ones) have preference for using filesystem labels instead of unique identifiers (UUIDs) or device names.

Long time ago there was a post here about using tune2fs for configuring filesystem label, but for ext filesystems (ext2/ext3/ext4) there's an easier way: use e2label command.

Check ext2/ext3/ext4 Filesystem Label with e2label

Simply run e2label and specify the device name:

root@ubuntu:~ # e2label /dev/sda1

Set Filesystem Label with e2label

If you run the same command and specify the label, it will get assigned to the device:

root@ubuntu:~ # e2label /dev/sda1 rootdisk
root@ubuntu:~ # e2label /dev/sda1
rootdisk

I'll show how to use filesystem labels in /etc/fstab tomorrow.

See Also

• tune2fs command
• Change filesystem label with tune2fs
• How To: use filesystem labels in /etc/fstab
• Free up reserved space with tune2fs

Liked it? Take a second to support Gleb Reys on Patreon!