mkfs Command - Build a Linux Filesystem

The mkfs command is used to build a Linux filesystem on a device, usually a hard disk partition. It is a front-end to various filesystem-specific commands like mkfs.ext4, mkfs.xfs, etc.

Syntax

mkfs -t type [options] device

Examples

sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdb1

sudo mkfs -t xfs /dev/sdc1

Notes

• All data on the device will be lost when creating a new filesystem.
• Requires root privileges.
• Use lsblk or fdisk -l to list available devices.