modprobe

Overview

modprobe loads and unloads kernel modules, resolving dependencies via modules.dep — preferred over raw insmod/rmmod for daily admin. Pair with lsmod to see what is loaded and dmesg for driver messages.

Syntax

sudo modprobe [options] module [module_options]
sudo modprobe -r module

Common Options

Option	Description
-r / --remove	Unload module (+ unused deps)
-v	Verbose
-n	Dry-run
-c	Show config
--show-depends	Print dependency set
-f	Force (dangerous)

Safety

• Removing modules in use can fail or disrupt devices (rmmod may force more aggressively — still dangerous).
  
• Blacklist broken modules via /etc/modprobe.d/ rather than fighting boot.
  
• Out-of-tree modules must match the running kernel.

Examples with Explanations

Load / unload

lsmod | head
sudo modprobe overlay
sudo modprobe -r overlay

Dependencies

modprobe --show-depends xfs

Module parameters

# example only — parameters are module-specific
sudo modprobe nfs nfsvers=4.2
modinfo nfs | less

Blacklist (persist)

echo 'blacklist pcspkr' | sudo tee /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-pcspkr.conf

List available modules

find /lib/modules/"$(uname -r)" -name '*.ko*' | head

Related Commands

• lsmod / modinfo
  
• rmmod / insmod — low-level
  
• dmesg — load errors
  
• uname -r — running kernel

Additional Resources

• man modprobe
  
• modules.dep(5)