I'm new to Linux and really enjoying my experience with Fedora, but I've hit a wall with the default installation. After less than a week, I'm unable to install new kernel updates because my /boot partition is full (it's only 1GB by default). Even after removing all kernels except the live one, I still can't update because there's not enough space, which is pretty frustrating. I tried resizing the partition with a USB stick, but that ended up bricking my system. Is it just me, or is the default size for the boot partition really too low?
5 Answers
A 1GB boot partition should usually fit around 5 kernels. If it’s full with just one, it’s possible there’s an issue causing it to be read-only. Maybe check for any problems at boot that might be affecting this.
My /boot partition is around 1GB and it's usually good enough. Are you sure there’s nothing else bloating it? I have just about 243MB used and I’m managing fine. Maybe something went wrong during your setup.
I figured out it was indeed Timeshift. It stored the snapshots in /boot, bloating the space. I’m planning to do a fresh install and change the backup location.
Actually, 1GB is usually more than enough. Just look at how Windows does it with a 100MB EFI partition! You might have old kernels lying around. Here's a link to a discussion that might help you free up space: [Fedora Forum Link](https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/boot-nearly-full-how-to-free-space/73206/5).
I did remove all but the live kernel, but it seems the live kernel is way larger than usual. Timeshift might be the reason for that.
I faced a similar issue with Linux Mint. It turns out the Timeshift backup app was saving its snapshots to the boot partition, quickly filling it up! Maybe check what’s taking up space on your boot drive with tools like KDE's Filelight. Once I switched Timeshift to use my main partition, I cleared out the junk from the boot and it solved the problem! Also, don’t forget to enable the option to view hidden files so you can see everything in there.
That sounds like my situation exactly! I have multiple backups in Timeshift that are taking up all the room, leaving me just one kernel to work with.
If you’re planning on having multiple kernels, consider increasing the size of your boot partition. 1GB is generally fine, but you’ll have breathing room with a little more space.
Yeah, that’s strange. My partition is almost full with one kernel. I have a hunch Timeshift is the culprit since I did set it to keep three backups which might have bloated the kernel size.