Ever run df -h and seen that dreaded 98% capacity on your main drive? That feeling of panic is real. Your first instinct might be to manually browse folders or use the built-in du command, but du is often slow, clunky, and hard to read.
Today’s tip, the ncdu command, is a simple, powerful tool that will save you hours of work.
What is the ncdu Command?
Ncdu stands for NCurses Disk Usage. It’s a terminal-based Linux disk usage analyzer that scans your disk and then presents you with a fast, interactive interface.
Unlike a slow GUI or a messy du -sh * output, ncdu allows you to navigate through your directories using your arrow keys. It instantly shows you which folders are the biggest and even allows you to delete files or folders directly from its interface.
How to Install and Use ncdu
Using it is a simple two-step process.
Step 1: Install ncdu
It’s a very small tool and is available in the default repositories of most distributions.
On Fedora (and other RHEL-based distros), open your terminal and type:
sudo dnf install ncdu
(On Debian/Ubuntu-based systems, you would use sudo apt install ncdu.)
Step 2: Run ncdu
Once installed, just run it. A great place to start is your home directory:
ncdu ~
If you want to scan your entire root filesystem to find system-wide junk, run it with sudo:
sudo ncdu /
Ncdu will scan the directory and then present its interactive screen. Use your arrow keys to move up and down, Enter to go into a directory, and ‘d’ to delete a selected file or folder (it will ask for confirmation).
Why It’s Our Tip of the Day
The ncdu command is the perfect Linux tool: it’s fast, lightweight, and does one job perfectly. It’s the best way to find what’s taking up disk space, whether you’re on a powerful desktop or a headless server via SSH.
For more advanced options, you can always visit the OFFICIAL NCDU PAGE.
That’s our tip for today! What’s your favorite tool for cleaning up your disk? Let us know in the comments.