Upgrading a VPS disk usually changes the size of the virtual disk, not the partition and filesystem inside Ubuntu. The fix is to expand each storage layer in order: confirm the new disk size, grow the partition, enlarge any LVM physical volume and logical volume, then grow the filesystem. For a typical direct ext4 root partition, the sequence is growpart followed by resize2fs. LVM adds pvresize and lvextend; XFS requires xfs_growfs instead of resize2fs.
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Do not run a filesystem command until you have identified whether its target is a partition or an LV and confirmed the filesystem type. Record the layout first, keep a usable backup, and verify every layer after the change.
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Why Ubuntu still reports the old capacity
A VPS provider can enlarge the virtual block device while leaving Ubuntu’s existing partition table unchanged. The guest may therefore see a larger disk in lsblk, while df -Th continues to show the old filesystem size. The unused space exists after the last partition, but no filesystem can use it until the intervening layers are expanded.
Storage is layered. A simple installation commonly looks like:
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virtual disk (for example, /dev/vda)
└── partition (for example, /dev/vda1)
└── filesystem (ext4, XFS, or another type)An LVM installation inserts three more concepts:
virtual disk
└── partition
└── physical volume (PV)
└── volume group (VG)
└── logical volume (LV)
└── filesystemEach layer has a different tool. growpart changes a partition boundary; it does not resize a filesystem. pvresize updates LVM’s view of a physical volume. lvextend allocates free space in a volume group to an LV. resize2fs grows ext2, ext3, and ext4 filesystems, but does not alter partitions. XFS uses a filesystem-specific command.
Before you change anything
Back up data and plan a recovery path
Ubuntu advises backing up important data before resizing. Resize operations can include filesystem checks or repair work; an interruption, power failure, or wrong device name can damage data. LVM performs checks before many operations, but those checks do not eliminate the possibility of data loss.
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- Keep the VPS provider’s rescue or console access available in case the guest fails to boot.
- Schedule the change if your provider or filesystem requires downtime.
- Do not use a grow procedure to shrink a filesystem. Shrinking requires a filesystem-specific order, normally starting with the filesystem while it is offline and only then reducing the containing LV, partition, and disk.
Use a root shell and install the required utility
Run commands as root or prefix them with sudo. On Ubuntu, growpart is supplied by the cloud-guest-utils package on many images. If the command is missing, install that package through your normal package repository before proceeding:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install cloud-guest-utilsDo not install packages or reboot until you have recorded the current layout. A reboot is not normally needed for a partition and filesystem growth operation, but a provider’s disk-rescan procedure may differ.
Inventory the disk, partitions, mounts, and filesystem
Start with a read-only inventory. Save the output in your change notes so you can compare it later.
lsblk
sudo df -Th
findmnt /
lsblk shows disks, partitions, and (when applicable) device-mapper paths. df -Th identifies the filesystem type and its currently usable size. findmnt / tells you exactly which device backs the root mount.
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If the root device is an LVM logical volume, collect the LVM state as well:
sudo pvs
sudo vgs
sudo lvsLook for the provider’s new capacity in lsblk. If the disk itself is still the old size, Ubuntu has not yet detected the virtual-disk upgrade; use the VPS control panel’s rescan or reboot procedure, then repeat the inventory. If the disk is larger but the final partition is unchanged, continue with partition growth.
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Map the device path before selecting a command
Write down the complete path for the root mount. Typical direct layouts use a path such as /dev/vda1. LVM layouts may show a mapper path such as /dev/mapper/ubuntu--vg-ubuntu--lv. The name is installation-specific; never copy an example blindly.
- Direct partition: the root filesystem is mounted directly from a numbered partition.
- LVM: the root filesystem is mounted from an LV, and the partition containing the PV must be expanded first.
- Multiple partitions:
growpartcan only consume free space immediately after the selected partition and before the next partition.
Choose the correct expansion path
| Layout or requirement | Intermediate steps | Filesystem step | Typical online behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct partition with ext2/ext3/ext4 | Grow the numbered partition with growpart |
resize2fs on that partition |
ext4 growth is commonly online when the kernel and filesystem support it |
| Direct partition with XFS | Grow the numbered partition with growpart |
xfs_growfs on the mounted filesystem |
XFS growth is performed from the mounted filesystem; verify your distribution and mount state |
| LVM PV containing ext2/ext3/ext4 | growpart, then pvresize, then lvextend |
resize2fs on the LV, or a supported combined LV/filesystem operation |
Ubuntu documents that LVM can expand a mounted volume when the filesystem supports online growth |
| LVM PV containing XFS | growpart, then pvresize, then lvextend |
xfs_growfs on the mount point |
Growth is generally online, but confirm the filesystem and mount requirements first |
| Any filesystem being reduced | Not a grow workflow | Use that filesystem’s documented offline-shrink procedure | Expect downtime and a separate backup/rollback plan |
Direct partition: expand an ext4 root filesystem
Use this path when findmnt / points directly to a partition such as /dev/vda1, and df -Th reports ext2, ext3, or ext4. Replace every example device with the path from your inventory.
1. Extend the partition
The growpart syntax is the disk device followed by the partition number, separated into two arguments:
sudo growpart /dev/vda 1The utility extends the numbered partition to fill available space, stopping at the end of the disk or before the next partition. A successful run reports the old and new partition boundaries. If it says there is no space to grow, inspect lsblk and the partition table: another partition may occupy the space, or the guest may still see the old virtual-disk size.
2. Expand the ext filesystem
After the partition is larger, expand the filesystem that lives on it:
sudo resize2fs /dev/vda1resize2fs expands ext2, ext3, and ext4 filesystems. It does not manipulate partition size, so running it before growpart cannot claim space that the partition does not yet contain. For a mounted root ext4 filesystem, growth is normally performed online; if the command requests an offline check or reports an unsupported condition, use the provider console or rescue environment and follow the filesystem’s required maintenance procedure.
3. Verify both layers
lsblk
df -Th
findmnt /
The partition in lsblk and the filesystem size in df -Th should now reflect the intended capacity. A small difference between decimal disk units and binary filesystem units is normal; a filesystem that remains at its old size indicates that the filesystem step did not complete or targeted the wrong device.
Direct partition: expand XFS
XFS cannot be grown with resize2fs. First extend the partition exactly as in the ext4 procedure:
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sudo growpart /dev/vda 1Then identify the mount point with findmnt / or the relevant entry in df -Th, and grow the mounted XFS filesystem by mount point:
sudo xfs_growfs /Use the actual mount point if the filesystem is not root. XFS growth has different prerequisites and diagnostics from ext4; verify that the filesystem is XFS and mounted before running the command. Recheck with lsblk and df -Th.
LVM: expand a root logical volume
Use this workflow when findmnt / points to an LV and pvs, vgs, or lvs confirms LVM. The usual order is partition, PV, VG allocation, LV, then filesystem.
1. Grow the partition that contains the PV
Find the PV device in pvs. It may be a whole disk or a partition such as /dev/vda3. If it is a partition, extend that partition:
sudo growpart /dev/vda 3If the PV occupies the whole disk, there is no partition boundary to grow; skip growpart and proceed to pvresize after confirming that the virtual disk is larger.
2. Make LVM recognize the larger PV
sudo pvresize /dev/vda3Substitute the PV path reported by pvs. Then inspect the volume group:
sudo pvs
sudo vgs
sudo lvsvgs should show additional free space. If it does not, stop and resolve the layer that remains small; extending an LV cannot work until the VG has free extents.
3. Allocate free VG space to the LV
Identify the LV mounted at the target path. To assign all currently free space in the volume group:
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sudo lvextend -l +100%FREE /dev/mapper/ubuntu--vg-ubuntu--lvThe mapper name is only an example. Use the exact LV path from lvs or findmnt. If you want a specific size rather than all free extents, use an explicit size supported by your LVM version and leave the remaining VG space unallocated for later growth.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallSome LVM versions support combining LV and filesystem growth with lvextend -r. Because that option invokes filesystem tooling automatically, use it only after confirming the filesystem type and target:
sudo lvextend -r -l +100%FREE /dev/mapper/ubuntu--vg-ubuntu--lvFor maximum control, extend the LV without -r, verify its new size, and run the filesystem-specific command yourself.
4. Grow the filesystem on the LV
For ext2, ext3, or ext4:
sudo resize2fs /dev/mapper/ubuntu--vg-ubuntu--lvFor XFS, use the mounted path instead:
sudo xfs_growfs /Do not pass the PV or the partition to resize2fs when the filesystem is actually inside an LV. Conversely, do not pass an LV path to pvresize; PV operations apply to the physical volume.
5. Verify the complete LVM chain
sudo pvs
sudo vgs
sudo lvs
lsblk
df -Th
findmnt /
The disk and containing partition should show the expanded capacity, the PV should contain the new extents, the VG should show less free space if you allocated it, and the LV and filesystem should both report the intended size. If the VG still has free space, that is not an error; it means you intentionally or accidentally left capacity unallocated.
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Automating root growth with cloud-init
Cloud images can automate the common root-disk case. cloud-init documents pairing its growpart and resizefs modules so that a root partition expanded by growpart is followed by filesystem growth. A representative configuration is:
#cloud-config
growpart:
mode: auto
devices: ["/"]
resize_rootfs: trueThe resize_rootfs setting can be enabled, disabled, or configured to run non-blocking according to the image’s cloud-init version and configuration. The exact module behavior depends on the image, installed packages, datasource, and whether the root layout is direct or LVM.
Check whether automation ran
Do not assume a cloud image resized itself. Inspect cloud-init status and logs, then repeat the inventory commands:
cloud-init status --long
sudo journalctl -u cloud-init
sudo journalctl -u cloud-final
lsblk
df -Th
Logs can reveal that growpart was skipped because no free space followed the partition, that the utility was not installed, or that filesystem growth was disabled. If automation is disabled or incomplete, finish the layers manually after confirming the current state.
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The disk still has its old size
Ubuntu cannot expand space it cannot see. Recheck the VPS control panel, rescan procedure, and lsblk. If the provider has not presented the larger virtual disk to the guest, partition and filesystem commands will correctly report no available space.
growpart says there is no room
Confirm that you supplied the disk and partition number separately, for example growpart /dev/vda 1. Then inspect whether another partition follows the target. The utility grows only into contiguous free space and stops before the next partition.
The partition grew but df did not
This means the filesystem layer is still unchanged. For ext filesystems, run resize2fs against the enlarged partition or LV. For XFS, run xfs_growfs against its mounted path. First verify the filesystem type and mount source with df -Th and findmnt.
pvresize finds no additional space
Check that the PV’s containing partition was expanded and that you used the PV path shown by pvs. If the PV is a whole disk, confirm the disk itself grew. A VG cannot gain extents until the PV recognizes the larger underlying device.
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Run vgs and inspect the free extent count. Either the PV was not resized, another LV already consumed the space, or the requested LV size exceeds the VG’s free capacity. Do not force an allocation beyond available extents.
A resize command reports a check or repair condition
Stop and read the command’s diagnostic. An online operation may be unsupported for the filesystem, mount, kernel, or image configuration. Use console or rescue access, ensure a backup is available, and perform any required filesystem check or offline procedure before retrying.
Online versus offline growth
Ubuntu’s LVM guidance notes that LVM can expand a mounted volume when the filesystem used on it supports online growth. This is why a mounted ext4 or XFS root filesystem can often be expanded without booting from rescue media. “Often” is not universal: filesystem type, kernel support, image configuration, and the exact operation matter.
Quick Recap
- Online growth: useful for a running server when the filesystem supports it; keep a backup and monitor command output.
- Offline growth: required when the filesystem or requested operation cannot be performed safely while mounted; plan a maintenance window and use the provider console or rescue image.
- Shrinking: a separate, higher-risk workflow. Never reverse the grow commands or reduce an LV before reducing its filesystem.
A repeatable checklist
- Confirm the VPS provider completed the disk upgrade.
- Save output from
lsblk,df -Th, andfindmnt /. - If LVM is present, save
pvs,vgs, andlvs. - Back up important data and confirm console or rescue access.
- Identify the layer that still has the old size.
- Run
growparton the correct numbered partition when free space follows it. - Run
pvresizeif that partition is an LVM PV. - Run
lvextendif the filesystem is inside an LV. - Use
resize2fsfor ext2/ext3/ext4 orxfs_growfsfor XFS. - Repeat all inventory commands and confirm disk, partition, PV, VG, LV, and filesystem sizes.
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