check or repair a btrfs filesystem
Examples (TL;DR)
- Check a btrfs filesystem:
sudo btrfs check path/to/partition - Check and repair a btrfs filesystem (dangerous):
sudo btrfs check --repair path/to/partition - Show the progress of the check:
sudo btrfs check --progress path/to/partition - Verify the checksum of each data block (if the filesystem is good):
sudo btrfs check --check-data-csum path/to/partition - Use the
n-th superblock (ncan be 0, 1 or 2):sudo btrfs check --super n path/to/partition - Rebuild the checksum tree:
sudo btrfs check --repair --init-csum-tree path/to/partition - Rebuild the extent tree:
sudo btrfs check --repair --init-extent-tree path/to/partition
tldr.sh
Synopsis
btrfs check [options] <device>
Description
The filesystem checker is used to verify structural integrity of a filesystem and attempt to repair it if requested. It is recommended to unmount the filesystem prior to running the check, but it is possible to start checking a mounted filesystem (see —force).
By default, btrfs check will not modify the device but you can reaffirm that by the option —readonly.
btrfsck is an alias of btrfs check command and is now deprecated.
WARNING:
Do not use —repair unless you are advised to do so by a developer or an experienced user, and then only after having accepted that no fsck successfully repair all types of filesystem corruption. E.g. some other software or hardware bugs can fatally damage a volume.
The structural integrity check verifies if internal filesystem objects or data structures satisfy the constraints, point to the right objects or are correctly connected together.
There are several cross checks that can detect wrong reference counts of shared extents, backreferences, missing extents of inodes, directory and inode connectivity etc.
The amount of memory required can be high, depending on the size of the filesystem, similarly the run time. Check the modes that can also affect that.
Safe or Advisory Options
- -b|—backup
-
use the first valid set of backup roots stored in the superblock
This can be combined with —super if some of the superblocks are damaged.
- —check-data-csum
-
verify checksums of data blocks
This expects that the filesystem is otherwise OK, and is basically an offline scrub that does not repair data from spare copies.
- —chunk-root <bytenr>
-
use the given offset bytenr for the chunk tree root
- -E|—subvol-extents <subvolid>
-
show extent state for the given subvolume
- -p|—progress
-
indicate progress at various checking phases
- -Q|—qgroup-report
-
verify qgroup accounting and compare against filesystem accounting
- -r|—tree-root <bytenr>
-
use the given offset ‘bytenr’ for the tree root
- —readonly
-
(default) run in read-only mode, this option exists to calm potential panic when users are going to run the checker
- -s|—super <N>
-
use Nth superblock copy, valid values are 0, 1 or 2 if the respective superblock offset is within the device size
This can be used to use a different starting point if some of the primary superblock is damaged.
- —clear-space-cache v1|v2
-
completely wipe all free space cache of given type
For free space cache v1, the clear_cache kernel mount option only rebuilds the free space cache for block groups that are modified while the filesystem is mounted with that option. Thus, using this option with v1 makes it possible to actually clear the entire free space cache.
For free space cache v2, the clear_cache kernel mount option destroys the entire free space cache. This option, with v2 provides an alternative method of clearing the free space cache that doesn’t require mounting the filesystem.
- —clear-ino-cache
-
remove leftover items pertaining to the deprecated inode map feature
Dangerous Options
- —repair
-
enable the repair mode and attempt to fix problems where possible
NOTE:
There’s a warning and 10 second delay when this option is run without —force to give users a chance to think twice before running repair, the warnings in documentation have shown to be insufficient
- —init-csum-tree
-
create a new checksum tree and recalculate checksums in all files
WARNING:
Do not blindly use this option to fix checksum mismatch problems.
- —init-extent-tree
-
build the extent tree from scratch
WARNING:
Do not use unless you know what you’re doing.
- —mode <MODE>
-
select mode of operation regarding memory and IO
The MODE can be one of:
- original
-
The metadata are read into memory and verified, thus the requirements are high on large filesystems and can even lead to out-of-memory conditions. The possible workaround is to export the block device over network to a machine with enough memory.
- lowmem
-
This mode is supposed to address the high memory consumption at the cost of increased IO when it needs to re-read blocks. This may increase run time.
- NOTE:
-
lowmem mode does not work with —repair yet, and is still considered experimental.
- —force
-
allow work on a mounted filesystem. Note that this should work fine on a quiescent or read-only mounted filesystem but may crash if the device is changed externally, e.g. by the kernel module. Repair without mount checks is not supported right now.
This option also skips the delay and warning in the repair mode (see —repair).
Exit Status
btrfs check returns a zero exit status if it succeeds. Non zero is returned in case of failure.
Availability
btrfs is part of btrfs-progs. Please refer to the documentation at https://btrfs.readthedocs.io or wiki http://btrfs.wiki.kernel.org for further information.
See Also
mkfs.btrfs(8), btrfs-scrub(8), btrfs-rescue(8)
Referenced By
btrfs(5), btrfs(8), btrfs-rescue(8), btrfs-restore(8), fsck.btrfs(8).
The man page btrfsck(8) is an alias of btrfs-check(8).
Jan 25, 2023 6.1.3 BTRFS
btrfs-check(8)
check or repair an unmounted btrfs filesystem
SYNOPSIS
btrfs check [options] <device>
DESCRIPTION
btrfs check is used to check or repair an unmounted btrfs filesystem.
-
Note
Since btrfs is under development, the btrfs check capabilities are continuously enhanced. It’s highly recommended to read the following btrfs wiki before executing btrfs check with —repair option: m[blue]https://btrfs.wiki.kernel.org/index.php/Btrfsckm[]
btrfsck is an alias of btrfs check command and is now deprecated.
OPTIONS
-s|—super <superblock>
-
use
<superblock>th superblock copy, valid values are 0 up to 2 if the respective superblock offset is within the filesystem
-b|—backup
- use the first backup roots stored in the superblock that is valid
—repair
- try to repair the filesystem
—readonly
- run in read-only mode (default)
—init-csum-tree
- create a new CRC tree and recalculate all checksums
—init-extent-tree
- create a new extent tree
—check-data-csum
- verify checksums of data blocks
-p|—progress
- indicate progress at various checking phases
—qgroup-report
- verify qgroup accounting and compare against filesystem accounting
-E|—subvol-extents <subvolid>
- show extent state for the given subvolume
-r|—tree-root <bytenr>
- use the given bytenr for the tree root
—chunk-root <bytenr>
- use the given bytenr for the chunk tree root
EXIT STATUS
btrfs check returns a zero exit status if it succeeds. Non zero is returned in case of failure.
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btrfs-check — check or repair a btrfs filesystem
Synopsis
btrfs check [options] <device>
Description
The filesystem checker is used to verify structural integrity of a filesystem and attempt to repair it if requested. It is recommended to unmount the filesystem prior to running the check, but it is possible to start checking a mounted filesystem (see —force).
By default, btrfs check will not modify the device but you can reaffirm that by the option —readonly.
btrfsck is an alias of btrfs check command and is now deprecated.
Warning
Do not use —repair unless you are advised to do so by a developer or an experienced user, and then only after having accepted that no fsck successfully repair all types of filesystem corruption. Eg. some other software or hardware bugs can fatally damage a volume.
The structural integrity check verifies if internal filesystem objects or data structures satisfy the constraints, point to the right objects or are correctly connected together.
There are several cross checks that can detect wrong reference counts of shared extents, backreferences, missing extents of inodes, directory and inode connectivity etc.
The amount of memory required can be high, depending on the size of the filesystem, similarly the run time.
Safe or Advisory Options
- -b|—backup
-
use the first valid set of backup roots stored in the superblock
This can be combined with —super if some of the superblocks are damaged.
- —check-data-csum
-
verify checksums of data blocks
This expects that the filesystem is otherwise OK, and is basically and offline scrub but does not repair data from spare copies.
- —chunk-root <bytenr>
-
use the given offset bytenr for the chunk tree root
- -E|—subvol-extents <subvolid>
-
show extent state for the given subvolume
- -p|—progress
-
indicate progress at various checking phases
- -Q|—qgroup-report
-
verify qgroup accounting and compare against filesystem accounting
- -r|—tree-root <bytenr>
-
use the given offset bytenr for the tree root
- —readonly
-
(default) run in read-only mode, this option exists to calm potential panic when users are going to run the checker
- -s|—super <superblock>
-
use ‘superblock’th superblock copy, valid values are 0, 1 or 2 if the respective superblock offset is within the device size
This can be used to use a different starting point if some of the primary superblock is damaged.
- —clear-space-cache v1|v2
-
completely wipe all free space cache of given type
For free space cache v1, the clear_cache kernel mount option only rebuilds the free space cache for block groups that are modified while the filesystem is mounted with that option. Thus, using this option with v1 makes it possible to actually clear the entire free space cache.
For free space cache v2, the clear_cache kernel mount option destroys the entire free space cache. This option, with v2 provides an alternative method of clearing the free space cache that doesn’t require mounting the filesystem.
Dangerous Options
- —repair
-
enable the repair mode and attempt to fix problems where possible
- —init-csum-tree
-
create a new checksum tree and recalculate checksums in all files
Note
Do not blindly use this option to fix checksum mismatch problems. - —init-extent-tree
-
build the extent tree from scratch
Note
Do not use unless you know what you’re doing. - —mode=MODE
-
select mode of operation regarding memory and IO
The MODE can be one of original and lowmem. The original mode is mostly unoptimized regarding memory consumption and can lead to out-of-memory conditions on large filesystems. The possible workaround is to export the block device over network to a machine with enough memory. The low memory mode is supposed to address the memory consumption, at the cost of increased IO when it needs to re-read blocks when needed. This may increase run time.
Note
lowmem mode does not work with —repair yet, and is still considered experimental.
- —force
-
allow work on a mounted filesystem. Note that this should work fine on a quiescent or read-only mounted filesystem but may crash if the device is changed externally, eg. by the kernel module. Repair without mount checks is not supported right now.
Exit Status
btrfs check returns a zero exit status if it succeeds. Non zero is returned in case of failure.
Availability
btrfs is part of btrfs-progs. Please refer to the btrfs wiki http://btrfs.wiki.kernel.org for further details.
See Also
mkfs.btrfs(8), btrfs-scrub(8), btrfs-rescue(8)
Referenced By
btrfs(8), btrfs-rescue(8), btrfs-restore(8), fsck.btrfs(8).
The man page btrfsck(8) is an alias of btrfs-check(8).
07/26/2019 Btrfs v5.2.1 Btrfs Manual
btrfs-check: check or repair a btrfs filesystem
Command to display btrfs-check manual in Linux: $ man 8 btrfs-check
NAME
btrfs-check — check or repair a btrfs filesystem
SYNOPSIS
btrfs check [options] <device>
DESCRIPTION
The filesystem checker is used to verify structural integrity of a filesystem and attempt to repair it if requested. It is recommended to unmount the filesystem prior to running the check, but it is possible to start checking a mounted filesystem (see —force).
By default, btrfs check will not modify the device but you can reaffirm that by the option —readonly.
btrfsck is an alias of btrfs check command and is now deprecated.
-
Warning
Do not use —repair unless you are advised to do so by a developer or an experienced user, and then only after having accepted that no fsck successfully repair all types of filesystem corruption. Eg. some other software or hardware bugs can fatally damage a volume.
The structural integrity check verifies if internal filesystem objects or data structures satisfy the constraints, point to the right objects or are correctly connected together.
There are several cross checks that can detect wrong reference counts of shared extents, backreferences, missing extents of inodes, directory and inode connectivity etc.
The amount of memory required can be high, depending on the size of the filesystem, similarly the run time. Check the modes that can also affect that.
SAFE OR ADVISORY OPTIONS
-b|—backup
-
use the first valid set of backup roots stored in the superblock
This can be combined with
—super
if some of the superblocks are damaged.
—check-data-csum
-
verify checksums of data blocks
This expects that the filesystem is otherwise OK, and is basically and offline
scrub
but does not repair data from spare copies.
—chunk-root <bytenr>
-
use the given offset
bytenr
for the chunk tree root
-E|—subvol-extents <subvolid>
- show extent state for the given subvolume
-p|—progress
- indicate progress at various checking phases
-Q|—qgroup-report
- verify qgroup accounting and compare against filesystem accounting
-r|—tree-root <bytenr>
-
use the given offset
bytenr
for the tree root
—readonly
- (default) run in read-only mode, this option exists to calm potential panic when users are going to run the checker
-s|—super <superblock>
-
use ‘superblock’th superblock copy, valid values are 0, 1 or 2 if the respective superblock offset is within the device size
This can be used to use a different starting point if some of the primary superblock is damaged.
—clear-space-cache v1|v2
-
completely wipe all free space cache of given type
For free space cache
v1, the
clear_cache
kernel mount option only rebuilds the free space cache for block groups that are modified while the filesystem is mounted with that option. Thus, using this option with
v1
makes it possible to actually clear the entire free space cache.For free space cache
v2, the
clear_cache
kernel mount option destroys the entire free space cache. This option, with
v2
provides an alternative method of clearing the free space cache that doesn’t require mounting the filesystem.
DANGEROUS OPTIONS
—repair
-
enable the repair mode and attempt to fix problems where possible
-
Note
there’s a warning and 10 second delay when this option is run without
—force
to give users a chance to think twice before running repair, the warnings in documentation have shown to be insufficient
-
—init-csum-tree
-
create a new checksum tree and recalculate checksums in all files
-
Note
Do not blindly use this option to fix checksum mismatch problems.
-
—init-extent-tree
-
build the extent tree from scratch
-
Note
Do not use unless you know what you’re doing.
-
—mode <MODE>
-
select mode of operation regarding memory and IO
The
MODE
can be one of:original
- The metadata are read into memory and verified, thus the requirements are high on large filesystems and can even lead to out-of-memory conditions. The possible workaround is to export the block device over network to a machine with enough memory.
lowmem
-
This mode is supposed to address the high memory consumption at the cost of increased IO when it needs to re-read blocks. This may increase run time.
-
Note
lowmem
mode does not work with
—repair
yet, and is still considered experimental.
-
—force
-
allow work on a mounted filesystem. Note that this should work fine on a quiescent or read-only mounted filesystem but may crash if the device is changed externally, eg. by the kernel module. Repair without mount checks is not supported right now.
This option also skips the delay and warning in the repair mode (see
—repair).
EXIT STATUS
btrfs check returns a zero exit status if it succeeds. Non zero is returned in case of failure.
AVAILABILITY
btrfs is part of btrfs-progs. Please refer to the btrfs wiki m[blue]http://btrfs.wiki.kernel.orgm[] for further details.
Linux «btrfs-check» Command Line Options and Examples
check or repair a btrfs filesystem
The filesystem checker is used to verify structural integrity of a filesystem and attempt to repair it if requested. It is recommended to unmount the filesystem prior to running the check, but it is possible to start checking a mounted filesystem (see —force). By default, btrfs check will not modify the device but you can reaffirm that by the option —readonly.
Usage:
btrfs check [options]
Command Line Options:
-b|—backup
use the first valid set of backup roots stored in the superblockThis can be combined with —super if some of the superblocks are damaged.
btrfs-check -b|--backup ...
—check-data-csum
verify checksums of data blocksThis expects that the filesystem is otherwise OK, and is basically and offline scrub but does not repair data from spare copies.
btrfs-check --check-data-csum ...
—chunk-root
use the given offset bytenr for the chunk tree root
btrfs-check --chunk-root ...
-E|—subvol-extents
show extent state for the given subvolume
btrfs-check -E|--subvol-extents ...
-p|—progress
indicate progress at various checking phases
btrfs-check -p|--progress ...
-Q|—qgroup-report
verify qgroup accounting and compare against filesystem accounting
btrfs-check -Q|--qgroup-report ...
-r|—tree-root
use the given offset bytenr for the tree root
btrfs-check -r|--tree-root ...
—readonly
(default) run in read-only mode, this option exists to calm potential panic when users are going to run the checker
btrfs-check --readonly ...
-s|—super
use ‘superblock’th superblock copy, valid values are 0, 1 or 2 if the respective superblock offset is within the device sizeThis can be used to use a different starting point if some of the primary superblock is damaged.
btrfs-check -s|--super ...
—clear-space-cache
completely wipe all free space cache of given typeFor free space cache v1, the clear_cache kernel mount option only rebuilds the free space cache for block groups that aremodified while the filesystem is mounted with that option. Thus, using this option with v1 makes it possible to actually clearthe entire free space cache.For free space cache v2, the clear_cache kernel mount option destroys the entire free space cache. This option, with v2 providesan alternative method of clearing the free space cache that doesn’t require mounting the filesystem.DANGEROUS OPTIONS
btrfs-check --clear-space-cache ...
—repair
enable the repair mode and attempt to fix problems where possible
—init-csum-tree
create a new checksum tree and recalculate checksums in all filesNoteDo not blindly use this option to fix checksum mismatch problems.
btrfs-check --init-csum-tree ...
—init-extent-tree
build the extent tree from scratchNoteDo not use unless you know what you’re doing.
btrfs-check --init-extent-tree ...
—mode
select mode of operation regarding memory and IOThe MODE can be one of original and lowmem. The original mode is mostly unoptimized regarding memory consumption and can lead toout-of-memory conditions on large filesystems. The possible workaround is to export the block device over network to a machinewith enough memory. The low memory mode is supposed to address the memory consumption, at the cost of increased IO when it needsto re-read blocks when needed. This may increase run time.Notelowmem mode does not work with —repair yet, and is still considered experimental.
—force
allow to work on a mounted filesystem. Note that this should work fine on a quiescent or read-only mounted filesystem but maycrash if the device is changed externally, eg. by the kernel module. Repair without mount checks is not supported right now.EXIT STATUSbtrfs check returns a zero exit status if it succeeds. Non zero is returned in case of failure.AVAILABILITYbtrfs is part of btrfs-progs. Please refer to the btrfs wiki http://btrfs.wiki.kernel.org for further details.