$ Linux Command

Disk

mount

Attach filesystems into the Linux directory tree.

filesystemmountdiskusbstorage

Additional Notes

mount attaches a filesystem to a directory called a mount point. Linux has one directory tree starting at /, and disks, partitions, USB drives, network shares, and virtual filesystems appear inside that tree when mounted.

Unmount with umount, not unmount.

Syntax

mount [options]
mount [options] DEVICE MOUNTPOINT
mount [options] -t TYPE DEVICE MOUNTPOINT

Parameters

  • DEVICE: Block device, partition, image, UUID, label, or remote share.
  • MOUNTPOINT: Existing directory where the filesystem will appear.
  • TYPE: Filesystem type such as ext4, vfat, ntfs, nfs, or tmpfs.

Common Options

  • -t TYPE: Specify filesystem type.
  • -o OPTIONS: Pass mount options.
  • -a: Mount everything configured in /etc/fstab.
  • -r: Mount read-only.
  • -w: Mount read-write.
  • --bind OLD NEW: Bind-mount one path at another path.

Examples

mount

Show currently mounted filesystems.

findmnt

Show mounts in a tree view. This is often easier to read.

sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/usb

Mount a partition at /mnt/usb.

sudo mount -t ext4 /dev/sdb1 /mnt/data

Mount with an explicit filesystem type.

sudo mount -o ro /dev/sdb1 /mnt/recovery

Mount read-only.

sudo mount --bind /var/www/site /srv/site

Make one existing directory appear at another path.

sudo umount /mnt/usb

Unmount a mounted filesystem.

Practical Notes

  • The mount point directory must exist before mounting.
  • Use lsblk, blkid, and findmnt to identify devices and mount state.
  • Be careful mounting unknown filesystems read-write.
  • /etc/fstab controls many automatic mounts.
  • If unmount fails because a target is busy, check open files with lsof or fuser.