lvremove

Additional Notes

lvremove deletes one or more LVM logical volumes. Once removed, the data on the volume is inaccessible and the physical extents are returned to the volume group for reuse.

A logical volume must be deactivated before it can be removed unless the -f force option is used. Removing a volume that is currently in use (mounted or active) will fail unless forced.

Syntax

lvremove [options] logical-volume-path...

Parameters

• logical-volume-path: Path to one or more logical volumes to remove.

Common Options

• -f, --force: Force removal without confirmation. Use twice for extra force.
• -A, --select: Select volumes based on a logical expression.
• -a, --all: Remove all logical volumes in a volume group (if path is a VG).
• -d, --debug: Enable debug output.

Examples

lvremove /dev/myvg/oldvolume

Remove a single logical volume after confirmation.

lvremove -f /dev/myvg/oldvolume

Force removal without prompting.

lvremove /dev/myvg/vol1 /dev/myvg/vol2

Remove multiple logical volumes.

lvremove -f /dev/myvg

Remove all logical volumes in the myvg volume group.

Practical Notes

• Deactivate a volume with lvchange -an /dev/vg/name before removing if it is active.
• Removing a snapshot volume is safe and only affects copy-on-write data.
• Data on a removed LV is not securely wiped. Use shred or dd before removal if sensitive data is involved.