Ubuntu 20.04 /boot Partition Full

📖 ~1 min read

Table of contents

1. Symptom & Impact
2. Environment & Reproduction
3. Root Cause Analysis
4. Quick Triage
5. Step-by-Step Diagnosis
6. Solution – Primary Fix
7. Solution – Alternative Approaches
8. Verification & Acceptance Criteria
9. Rollback Plan
10. Prevention & Hardening
11. Related Errors & Cross-Refs
12. References & Further Reading

Symptom & Impact

Kernel updates fail because /boot has no free space.

Environment & Reproduction

Apt shows no space left on device while installing linux-image packages.

Root Cause Analysis

Installations with small dedicated /boot partitions.

Quick Triage

Too many retained kernels and initramfs files consume partition capacity.

Step-by-Step Diagnosis

Check df -h /boot and list installed linux-image versions.

Solution – Primary Fix

Keep current plus one fallback kernel, purge older versions, and run update-initramfs.

Solution – Alternative Approaches

Kernel updates complete and /boot free space is restored.

Verification & Acceptance Criteria

Schedule periodic autoremove and monitor /boot utilization.

Rollback Plan

Escalate if partition corruption or mount issues prevent cleanup.

Prevention & Hardening

Boot previous kernel from GRUB if newest kernel fails.

Related Errors & Cross-Refs

Ubuntu kernel maintenance and apt autoremove documentation.

Related tutorial: View the step-by-step tutorial for Ubuntu 20.04 LTS.

View all Ubuntu 20.04 LTS tutorials on the Tutorials Hub →

Browse all common problems & solutions on the Tutorials Hub.

References & Further Reading

Never remove the currently running kernel shown by uname -r.