blkid

Additional Notes

blkid prints identifiers for block devices. It is commonly used to find UUIDs, labels, and filesystem types for disks and partitions.

UUIDs are often used in /etc/fstab because they are more stable than names like /dev/sda1.

Syntax

blkid [options] [device...]

Parameters

• options: Flags that change how blkid behaves.
• device: Disk, partition, volume, or filesystem path to inspect or modify.
• target: Mount point, file, or storage object used by the operation.

Common Options

• -o value: Print only values.
• -s TAG: Show only a specific tag such as UUID, LABEL, or TYPE.
• -p: Probe a device directly.
• -L LABEL: Look up a device by label.
• -U UUID: Look up a device by UUID.

Examples

sudo blkid

Show identifiers for detected block devices.

sudo blkid /dev/sda1

Show identifiers for one partition.

blkid -s UUID -o value /dev/sda1

Print only the UUID value.

blkid -U UUID-HERE

Find the device with a UUID.

lsblk -f

Alternative overview showing filesystem data.

Practical Notes

• Use UUIDs in /etc/fstab for reliable mounting.
• Confirm device names before formatting or mounting.
• Some blkid output may require root privileges.
• TYPE shows filesystem type, not partition table type.