parted

Overview

parted creates and modifies partition tables (GPT/MSDOS) on block devices. Prefer it for GPT disks and scripted partitioning; fdisk remains common for interactive MBR/GPT on small admin tasks. Mistakes destroy data — work on the correct device only.

Syntax

sudo parted [options] device [command...]
sudo parted device print

Common Commands (interactive or CLI)

Command	Description
print	Show partition table
mklabel gpt\|msdos	Create new disklabel (wipes)
mkpart	Create partition
rm N	Delete partition number N
resizepart	Resize partition boundary
unit GiB	Display/input units
align-check	Alignment check

Safety

• Double-check lsblk / by-id paths before any mklabel or rm.
  
• mklabel destroys the existing table.
  
• After partitioning, create filesystems with mkfs and update fstab by UUID.
  
• On disks with LVM/RAID, coordinate with pvcreate/mdadm first.

Examples with Explanations

Print table

lsblk -o NAME,SIZE,TYPE,FSTYPE,UUID
sudo parted /dev/sdb print
sudo parted -l

GPT with one partition (scripted)

sudo parted -s /dev/sdb mklabel gpt
sudo parted -s /dev/sdb mkpart primary ext4 1MiB 100%
sudo parted /dev/sdb align-check optimal 1
sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdb1

Interactive

sudo parted /dev/sdb
# (parted) unit GiB
# (parted) print
# (parted) quit

Notes & Pitfalls

• Kernel may need partprobe or a re-plug to re-read tables.
  
• NVMe partitions look like /dev/nvme0n1p1 (note the p).
  
• Cloud disks often already have GPT — don’t re-label casually.

Related Commands

• fdisk / gdisk — alternate partitioners
  
• lsblk / blkid — inventory
  
• mkfs / mount — after partitioning
  
• wipefs — clear signatures

Additional Resources

• man parted
  
• info parted