BTRFS(8) BTRFS BTRFS(8)
NAME
btrfs - a toolbox to manage btrfs filesystems
SYNOPSIS
btrfs [global] <group> [<group>...] <command> [<args>]
DESCRIPTION
The btrfs utility is a toolbox for managing btrfs filesystems. There
are command groups to work with subvolumes, devices, for whole filesys-
tem or other specific actions. See section COMMANDS.
There are also standalone tools for some tasks like btrfs-convert(8) or
btrfstune(8) that were separate historically and/or haven't been merged
to the main utility. See section STANDALONE TOOLS for more details.
For other topics (mount options, etc) please refer to the separate man-
ual page btrfs(5).
COMMAND SYNTAX
Any command name can be shortened so long as the shortened form is un-
ambiguous, however, it is recommended to use full command names in
scripts. All command groups have their manual page named
btrfs-<group>.
For example: it is possible to run btrfs sub snaps instead of btrfs
subvolume snapshot. But btrfs file s is not allowed, because file s
may be interpreted both as filesystem show and as filesystem sync.
If the command name is ambiguous, the list of conflicting options is
printed.
Sizes, both upon input and output, can be expressed in either SI or
IEC-I units (see numfmt(1)) with the suffix B appended. All numbers
will be formatted according to the rules of the C locale (ignoring the
shell locale, see locale(7)).
For an overview of a given command use btrfs command --help or btrfs
[command...] --help --full to print all available options.
There are global options that are passed between btrfs and the group
name and affect behaviour not specific to the command, e.g. verbosity
or the type of the output.
--format <format>
if supported by the command, print subcommand output in that
format (text, json)
-v|--verbose
increase verbosity of the subcommand
-q|--quiet
print only errors
--log <level>
set log level (default, info, verbose, debug, quiet)
The remaining options are relevant only for the main tool:
--help print condensed help for all subcommands
--version
print version string
COMMANDS
balance
Balance btrfs filesystem chunks across single or several de-
vices. See btrfs-balance(8) for details.
check Do off-line check on a btrfs filesystem. See btrfs-check(8) for
details.
device Manage devices managed by btrfs, including add/delete/scan and
so on. See btrfs-device(8) for details.
filesystem
Manage a btrfs filesystem, including label setting/sync and so
on. See btrfs-filesystem(8) for details.
inspect-internal
Debug tools for developers/hackers. See
btrfs-inspect-internal(8) for details.
property
Get/set a property from/to a btrfs object. See
btrfs-property(8) for details.
qgroup Manage quota group(qgroup) for btrfs filesystem. See
btrfs-qgroup(8) for details.
quota Manage quota on btrfs filesystem like enabling/rescan and etc.
See btrfs-quota(8) and btrfs-qgroup(8) for details.
receive
Receive subvolume data from stdin/file for restore and etc. See
btrfs-receive(8) for details.
replace
Replace btrfs devices. See btrfs-replace(8) for details.
rescue Try to rescue damaged btrfs filesystem. See btrfs-rescue(8) for
details.
restore
Try to restore files from a damaged btrfs filesystem. See
btrfs-restore(8) for details.
scrub Scrub a btrfs filesystem. See btrfs-scrub(8) for details.
send Send subvolume data to stdout/file for backup and etc. See
btrfs-send(8) for details.
subvolume
Create/delete/list/manage btrfs subvolume. See
btrfs-subvolume(8) for details.
STANDALONE TOOLS
New functionality could be provided using a standalone tool. If the
functionality proves to be useful, then the standalone tool is declared
obsolete and its functionality is copied to the main tool. Obsolete
tools are removed after a long (years) depreciation period.
Tools that are still in active use without an equivalent in btrfs:
btrfs-convert
in-place conversion from ext2/3/4 filesystems to btrfs
btrfstune
tweak some filesystem properties on a unmounted filesystem
btrfs-select-super
rescue tool to overwrite primary superblock from a spare copy
btrfs-find-root
rescue helper to find tree roots in a filesystem
For space-constrained environments, it's possible to build a single bi-
nary with functionality of several standalone tools. This is following
the concept of busybox where the file name selects the functionality.
This works for symlinks or hardlinks. The full list can be obtained by
btrfs help --box.
EXIT STATUS
btrfs returns a zero exit status if it succeeds. Non zero is returned
in case of failure.
AVAILABILITY
btrfs is part of btrfs-progs. Please refer to the documentation at
https://btrfs.readthedocs.io.
SEE ALSO
btrfs(5), btrfs-balance(8), btrfs-check(8), btrfs-convert(8),
btrfs-device(8), btrfs-filesystem(8), btrfs-inspect-internal(8),
btrfs-property(8), btrfs-qgroup(8), btrfs-quota(8), btrfs-receive(8),
btrfs-replace(8), btrfs-rescue(8), btrfs-restore(8), btrfs-scrub(8),
btrfs-send(8), btrfs-subvolume(8), btrfstune(8), mkfs.btrfs(8)
6.6.3 Mar 31, 2024 BTRFS(8)
Generated by dwww version 1.16 on Sun Jul 12 06:44:26 CEST 2026.