du

The du ( Disk Usage) command is used to estimate and display the amount of disk space used by files and directories on a Linux system.

It helps users and administrators identify which files or folders consume the most space.

CODE

du [options] [directory or filename]

Option	Description
-s	Displays the total disk usage of a specified directory (summary only).
-h	Shows sizes in a human-readable format (KB, MB, GB, etc.).

These options are often used together as du -sh to get a quick overview of a folder’s total size.

Example Usages

a. Display the total size of the current directory

CODE

du -sh

Shows the total disk usage of the current directory in a readable format.

b. Display the size of a specific file or directory

CODE

du -sh filename

Shows the disk usage for the specified file or folder.

c. Display the size of all files and subdirectories

CODE

du -sh *

Lists disk usage for each item in the current directory (including files and subfolders).

du calculates space usage recursively, so it can take time on large directories.

To include hidden files and directories, use:

CODE

du -sh .[!.]* *

Combine with sorting to find the largest folders:

CODE

du -sh * | sort -hr | head -10

Displays the top 10 largest directories in the current location.

References

Red Hat documentation: du command options