Free Up Space on Ubuntu’s /boot Partition with Simple Commands

Step 1: Check /boot Partition Usage

Use the df -h command to display disk usage for all partitions and note the percentage used by /boot.

df -h

Step 2: Remove Old Kernel Files

Ubuntu keeps previous kernels in /boot (files start with vmlinuz and initrd.img). List installed kernels, identify those not in use, and purge them. dpkg -l | grep linux-image Then purge each unwanted kernel version, replacing <linux-image-version> with the actual package name.

sudo apt-get purge <linux-image-version>

Step 3: Clean Unneeded Kernel Header Packages

Header packages correspond to each kernel version and also occupy space. List them and purge the ones you no longer need.

dpkg -l | grep linux-headers

sudo apt-get purge <linux-headers-version>

Step 4: Clear Unnecessary Packages and Cache

Remove the apt cache and any packages that are no longer required.

sudo apt-get clean

sudo apt-get autoclean

Step 5: Verify /boot Space Is Reclaimed

Run df -h again to ensure the /boot partition now has sufficient free space, confirming that the system can install new kernels and updates.

df -h

Conclusion

By checking the partition, removing outdated kernels and headers, and cleaning apt caches, you can quickly free space on Ubuntu’s /boot partition, preventing installation failures for future kernel upgrades.