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parted Command in Linux: Syntax, Options & Partition Examples

parted creates and edits partition tables on disks and loop images — GPT or msdos labels, primary and logical partitions, resize, flags, and scripted one-liners. It is the GNU replacement for classic fdisk on large disks and GPT layouts.

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parted Command in Linux: Syntax, Options & Partition Examples
About parted creates and edits partition tables on disks and loop images — GPT or msdos labels, primary and logical partitions, resize, flags, and scripted one-liners. It is the GNU replacement for classic fdisk on large disks and GPT layouts.
Tested on Ubuntu 25.04 (Plucky Puffin); parted 3.6-6; kernel 7.0.0-27-generic
Package parted (apt/deb) · parted (dnf/rpm)
Man page parted(8)
Privilege root / sudo
Distros

Ubuntu, Debian, RHEL, AlmaLinux, Fedora, and other distros shipping GNU Parted.

MBR-focused alternative: fdisk on smaller or legacy layouts.
Related guide

parted — quick reference

Inspect disks

When to use Command
List partition layout on every block device sudo parted -l
Print one device in script-friendly columns sudo parted -m /dev/sdX print
Print partition table as JSON sudo parted -j /dev/sdX print
Show free space on a disk sudo parted -s /dev/sdX unit MiB print free
Open interactive shell on a device sudo parted /dev/sdX

Partition tables and partitions

Script mode (-s) runs commands without prompts — use on loop images in /tmp for practice.

When to use Command
Create a GPT label (destructive) sudo parted -s /dev/sdX mklabel gpt
Create an msdos (MBR) label sudo parted -s /dev/sdX mklabel msdos
Add a primary partition with filesystem hint sudo parted -s /dev/sdX mkpart primary ext4 1MiB 512MiB
Use percentages for start/end sudo parted -s /dev/sdX mkpart primary 0% 50%
Add an extended partition (msdos) sudo parted -s /dev/sdX mkpart extended 100MiB 200MiB
Add a logical partition inside extended sudo parted -s /dev/sdX mkpart logical ext4 100MiB 150MiB
Delete partition number N sudo parted -s /dev/sdX rm N
Resize partition N to a new end sudo parted -s /dev/sdX resizepart N 1GiB

Flags and alignment

When to use Command
Set the boot flag on partition 1 sudo parted -s /dev/sdX set 1 boot on
Toggle a flag sudo parted -s /dev/sdX toggle 1 boot
Check optimal alignment of partition N sudo parted -s /dev/sdX align-check optimal N
Prefer optimal alignment for new partitions sudo parted -s -a optimal /dev/sdX mklabel gpt
Set GPT partition name (GPT labels only) sudo parted -s /dev/sdX name 1 data

Script behaviour

When to use Command
Never prompt — fail or proceed in scripts sudo parted -s ...
Auto-fix instead of abort when parted asks sudo parted -s -f ...
Set default unit for the session sudo parted -s /dev/sdX unit MiB print

Help and version

When to use Command
Show options and built-in commands parted --help
Show package version parted --version

parted — command syntax

Synopsis from parted --help on Ubuntu 25.04 (parted 3.6):

text 
parted [OPTION]... [DEVICE [COMMAND [PARAMETERS]...]...]
Apply COMMANDs with PARAMETERS to DEVICE.  If no COMMAND(s) are given, run in
interactive mode.

parted edits in-memory partition metadata and writes it to the disk label. Creating or deleting partitions destroys data in the affected ranges. Practice on loop files from losetup before touching production disks.

parted — command examples

Essential GPT label and primary partition on a loop image

Safe lab pattern: image file → losetup → parted → rm image.

bash 
dd if=/dev/zero of=/tmp/part.img bs=1M count=128 status=none
LOOP=$(sudo losetup -f --show /tmp/part.img)
sudo parted -s $LOOP mklabel gpt mkpart primary ext4 1MiB 64MiB
sudo parted -s $LOOP print

Sample output:

text 
Model: Loopback device (loopback)
Disk /dev/loop27: 134MB
Partition Table: gpt

Number  Start   End     Size    File system  Name     Flags
 1      1049kB  67.1MB  66.1MB               primary

Clean up:

bash 
sudo losetup -d $LOOP && rm -f /tmp/part.img
Essential List partitions on all block devices

-l is read-only and useful for inventory before resizing or cloning.

bash 
sudo parted -l

Output lists each disk model, size, partition table type, and partition rows. On busy servers the list is long — pipe to less or grep a device name.

Common Resize a partition and set the boot flag

resizepart changes the end position; ensure no filesystem extends past the new boundary without filesystem grow tools.

bash 
dd if=/dev/zero of=/tmp/resize.img bs=1M count=128 status=none
LOOP=$(sudo losetup -f --show /tmp/resize.img)
sudo parted -s $LOOP mklabel gpt mkpart primary 1MiB 64MiB
sudo parted -s $LOOP resizepart 1 96MiB
sudo parted -s $LOOP set 1 boot on
sudo parted -s $LOOP print
sudo losetup -d $LOOP && rm -f /tmp/resize.img

Sample flags column on GPT:

text 
1      1049kB  101MB  99.6MB               primary  boot, esp

GPT EFI partitions may show both boot and esp when the EFI System Partition flag is set.

Common Delete a partition with rm
bash 
dd if=/dev/zero of=/tmp/rm.img bs=1M count=64 status=none
LOOP=$(sudo losetup -f --show /tmp/rm.img)
sudo parted -s $LOOP mklabel gpt mkpart primary 1MiB 32MiB mkpart primary 32MiB 48MiB
sudo parted -s $LOOP rm 2
sudo parted -s $LOOP print
sudo losetup -d $LOOP && rm -f /tmp/rm.img

Only partition 1 remains after rm 2.

Common msdos extended and logical partitions

MBR layouts need an extended container before logical partitions.

bash 
dd if=/dev/zero of=/tmp/msdos.img bs=1M count=256 status=none
LOOP=$(sudo losetup -f --show /tmp/msdos.img)
sudo parted -s $LOOP mklabel msdos mkpart primary ext2 1MiB 100MiB
sudo parted -s $LOOP mkpart extended 100MiB 200MiB
sudo parted -s $LOOP mkpart logical ext2 100MiB 150MiB
sudo parted -s $LOOP print
sudo losetup -d $LOOP && rm -f /tmp/msdos.img

If parted warns about the nearest manageable sector, answer Yes in interactive mode or adjust start/end by 1 MiB in script mode.

Common Machine-readable print — -m and -j

-m emits BYT; lines for parsers; -j emits JSON for modern tooling.

bash 
dd if=/dev/zero of=/tmp/m.img bs=1M count=64 status=none
LOOP=$(sudo losetup -f --show /tmp/m.img)
sudo parted -s $LOOP mklabel gpt mkpart primary 1MiB 32MiB
sudo parted -m $LOOP print
sudo losetup -d $LOOP && rm -f /tmp/m.img

Sample -m line:

text 
BYT;
/dev/loop27:67MB:loopback:512:512:gpt:Loopback device:;
1:1049kB:33.6MB:32.5MB::primary:;
Common Show free space with unit MiB
bash 
dd if=/dev/zero of=/tmp/free.img bs=1M count=128 status=none
LOOP=$(sudo losetup -f --show /tmp/free.img)
sudo parted -s $LOOP mklabel gpt mkpart primary 1MiB 96MiB
sudo parted -s $LOOP unit MiB print free
sudo losetup -d $LOOP && rm -f /tmp/free.img

Sample free-space rows:

text 
0.02MiB  1.00MiB  0.98MiB  Free Space
 1      1.00MiB  96.0MiB  95.0MiB               primary
        96.0MiB  128MiB   32.0MiB  Free Space
Advanced Alignment warning with -a optimal

On tiny loop images parted may warn that the partition is not optimally aligned — production disks above ~1 MiB alignment usually succeed silently.

bash 
dd if=/dev/zero of=/tmp/align.img bs=1M count=64 status=none
LOOP=$(sudo losetup -f --show /tmp/align.img)
sudo parted -s -a optimal $LOOP mklabel gpt mkpart primary 0% 50%
sudo parted -s $LOOP print
sudo losetup -d $LOOP && rm -f /tmp/align.img

Sample warning:

text 
Warning: The resulting partition is not properly aligned for best performance: 34s % 2048s != 0s

Use align-check optimal N after creation on real SSDs.

parted — when to use / when not

Use parted when Use something else when
  • You need GPT partitioning or partitions beyond 2 TiB on MBR
  • You want scripted non-interactive edits (-s) in install scripts
  • You must resize a partition boundary (with care for underlying filesystems)
  • You prefer GNU parted interactive commands over fdisk keystrokes
  • Simple MBR-only edits on a BIOS box → fdisk
  • You only need a curses UI → cfdisk
  • The disk is managed by LVM only (no partition table) → pvcreate / lvcreate
  • You are shrinking a mounted ext4 root — plan with backups and filesystem tools, not parted alone
  • Partition rescue on failing disks → specialist recovery tools; rescue here is not a filesystem undelete

parted vs fdisk

parted fdisk
Tables GPT and msdos GPT and DOS (build-dependent)
Resize resizepart built in Not provided — delete/recreate or use other tools
Scripting parted -s DEV cmd ... sfdisk, printf pipelines
Best for GPT servers, grow/shrink boundaries Quick MBR edits, familiar TUI
Command One line
parted GPT/MBR partition editor (this page)
fdisk Classic partition table editor
lsblk Tree view of disks and partitions

Browse the full index in our Linux commands reference.

parted — interview corner

When choose GPT over msdos with parted?

GPT supports large disks, many primary partitions, and UEFI boot entries. msdos is the MBR style — up to four primary slots and extended/logical gymnastics — common on legacy BIOS layouts.

A strong answer is:

"GPT for modern UEFI servers and disks over 2 TiB; msdos MBR for legacy BIOS or compatibility scenarios."

What does parted -s do?

-s (script mode) suppresses interactive questions — commands run as given. Pair with -f when you want parted to fix minor alignment prompts instead of aborting.

A strong answer is:

"-s is script mode — no prompts. I use parted -s DEVICE mklabel gpt mkpart ... in automation."

Does resizepart resize the filesystem?

No. resizepart only moves the partition boundary in the partition table. The filesystem inside may need resize2fs, xfs_growfs, or recreation if you shrink.

A strong answer is:

"resizepart edits the partition table only — I still grow or shrink the filesystem with the matching tool."

Does mkpart create a filesystem?

The optional FS-TYPE argument is a hint for interactive users — parted does not run mkfs. After mkpart, format with mke2fs or mkfs.ext4.

A strong answer is:

"mkpart only allocates partition space — I format separately with mkfs or mke2fs."

Why is parted dangerous on production disks?

mklabel wipes the old partition table; rm and overlapping mkpart ranges destroy data instantly. There is no undo — backups and parted -m print snapshots before changes are mandatory.

A strong answer is:

"mklabel and rm are destructive — I capture parted -m output and verify the device name before any write."

Troubleshooting

Symptom Likely cause What to try
Can't have overlapping partitions Start/end overlap print free, adjust boundaries
Partition doesn't exist Wrong number after prior edits print and recount
Unable to satisfy all constraints Size too small for label overhead Shrink request or enlarge disk image
Error: Partition(s) on ... are being used Mounted partition umount or use a loop image
Alignment warnings on tiny images Loop files under ~100 MiB Expected in labs; use real disks for alignment tests

References

Rohan Timalsina

is a technical writer and Linux enthusiast who writes practical guides on Linux commands and system administration. He focuses on simplifying complex topics through clear explanations.