All Linux List Mounts Commands

Three commands cover every scenario when you need to linux list mounts on a running system: mount, cat /proc/mounts, and df. Each returns different levels of detail depending on whether you need a quick snapshot, real-time kernel data, or storage usage numbers alongside the mount list. This guide covers all three, including a fourth option—findmnt—for tree-formatted output.

How to Linux List Mounts Using the mount Command

Running mount with no arguments prints every active filesystem: the block device, its attach point, type, and permission flags. It is the fastest way to get a complete mount list.

mount

Sample output on a typical system:

Device	Mount Point	Type	Options
/dev/sda1	/	ext4	rw,relatime
/dev/sda2	/home	ext4	rw,relatime
/dev/sr0	/media/cdrom0	iso9660	ro,nosuid,nodev,relatime
/dev/sdb1	/mnt/usb	vfat	rw,nosuid,nodev,relatime

The rw flag means the filesystem is mounted read-write. The ro flag means read-only—expected for optical media like /dev/sr0. To narrow output to a specific filesystem type, pass the -t flag. For example, mount -t ext4 shows only ext4 partitions.

You can also copy files recursively in Linux across these mount points once you have confirmed what is active on the system.

Reading /proc/mounts to List Linux Mount Points

The /proc/mounts file is a virtual file the kernel maintains in real time. It updates instantly as filesystems are attached or detached, making it the most accurate source available.

cat /proc/mounts

Device	Mount Point	Type	Options	Dump	Pass
/dev/sda1	/	ext4	rw,relatime	0	0
/dev/sda2	/home	ext4	rw,relatime	0	0
/dev/sr0	/media/cdrom0	iso9660	ro,nosuid,nodev,relatime	0	0
/dev/sdb1	/mnt/usb	vfat	rw,nosuid,nodev,relatime	0	0

The two trailing columns—dump and pass—control backup frequency and fsck check order at boot. Both are typically 0 on modern systems. System administrators often prefer /proc/mounts over mount in scripts because it always reflects the live kernel state without any processing overhead.

When working with data across mounted filesystems, knowing how to count files in a directory helps when auditing storage before or after mounting additional volumes.

Check Disk Usage When You Linux List Mounts Using df

The df command lists every mounted filesystem along with total capacity, space consumed, and space remaining. Adding -h formats the numbers into readable units.

df -h

Filesystem	Capacity	Used	Free	Use%	Mounted On
/dev/sda1	50G	20G	28G	43%	/
/dev/sda2	100G	40G	55G	43%	/home
/dev/sr0	1.5G	1.5G	0	100%	/media/cdrom0
/dev/sdb1	32G	10G	22G	31%	/mnt/usb

The /dev/sr0 partition at 100% is expected—optical media mounts as read-only and always reports full usage. To show only specific filesystem types with disk data, run df -ht ext4. The -a flag includes virtual filesystems like tmpfs and sysfs that df omits by default.

Using findmnt to Linux List Mounts in Tree Format

The findmnt command displays the mount table in a tree layout, which makes parent-child filesystem relationships visible at a glance. It ships with most modern distributions and needs no arguments to run.

findmnt

To restrict output to a specific type:

findmnt -t ext4

The -o flag controls which columns appear. For example, findmnt -o TARGET,FSTYPE,SIZE,USE% returns only mount point, type, total size, and usage percentage—a compact view useful for quick checks.

Comparing Linux List Mounts Commands

Command	Device Name	Mount Point	FS Type	Disk Usage	Real-Time	Tree View
mount	✓	✓	✓	—	—	—
cat /proc/mounts	✓	✓	✓	—	✓	—
df -h	✓	✓	✓	✓	—	—
findmnt	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓

How to Unmount a Filesystem in Linux

Once a partition no longer needs to stay active, detach it with umount followed by the mount point or device path:

umount /mnt/usb

If the filesystem is busy—meaning a process has an open file on it—the command will fail. Run lsof +f -- /mnt/usb to see which processes are holding it open, then stop them before unmounting. A filesystem that does not appear when you linux list mounts is simply not attached. Mount it again with mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/usb.

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