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How to auto mount a folder in Linux Mint?

How to auto mount a folder in Linux Mint?

Auto-mounting a folder in Linux Mint can save you time and effort by automatically making folders or drives available when you log in. This is especially useful if you’re using external drives or network locations that need to be accessible right after booting. In this guide, we will walk you through the process of auto-mounting a folder in Linux Mint in a step-by-step manner.

By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of how to configure your system to auto-mount folders upon startup.

Why Auto-Mounting Is Important

Normally, when you plug in an external drive or access a network location, you must mount the drive or folder manually. If you have to do this every time you start up your computer, it can quickly become tedious.

Auto-mounting solves this by ensuring your desired folder is always available without requiring manual intervention. This is particularly useful if you use external hard drives, USB drives, or shared network folders frequently.

Steps to Auto-Mount a Folder in Linux Mint

To auto-mount a folder in Linux Mint, you will be working with the file system table (commonly known as fstab). This file is critical to the system’s boot process, as it controls how and where file systems are mounted.

The following steps will show you how to safely modify the fstab file to auto-mount a folder.

Step 1: Find the Folder Path

First, you need to know the exact location of the folder you want to auto-mount. This is usually straightforward if the folder is on your computer, but if it’s on an external device or network location, take extra care.

  1. Open the terminal by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T.
  2. Type df -h and press Enter. This will display a list of mounted drives, partitions, and network shares.
  3. Find your folder or drive in the list. Make a note of the mount point (the folder where it is mounted) and the device name.

For example, you might see an entry like:

/dev/sdb1       100G   50G   50G  50% /media/user/ExternalDrive

In this example, the folder or drive we want to auto-mount is /dev/sdb1, and it’s mounted at /media/user/ExternalDrive.

Step 2: Identify the UUID of the Device

Using the UUID (Universally Unique Identifier) of your drive is a more reliable method than using the device name. This is because the device name can change between reboots, while the UUID will stay the same.

To find the UUID of your device:

  1. In the terminal, type blkid and press Enter. This command shows information about all available devices.
  2. Locate your device from the output. You should see something like:
/dev/sdb1: UUID="1234-5678" TYPE="ext4" PARTUUID="87654321-01"

Copy the UUID (in this case, “1234-5678”) as you will need it in the next steps.

Step 3: Edit the fstab File

Next, you need to modify the fstab file to include an entry for auto-mounting your folder.

  1. In the terminal, type sudo nano /etc/fstab and press Enter. This will open the fstab file in the Nano text editor with root privileges.
  2. Before making any changes, it’s a good idea to back up the original file. To do this, open a new terminal window and type:
sudo cp /etc/fstab /etc/fstab.backup

This creates a backup copy of fstab, just in case something goes wrong.

3. Now, in the Nano editor, scroll to the end of the fstab file and add a new line that looks like this:

UUID=1234-5678  /media/user/ExternalDrive  ext4  defaults  0  2

  1. Here’s a breakdown of each part:
    • UUID=1234-5678: This is the UUID of your drive.
    • /media/user/ExternalDrive: The folder where you want to mount the drive.
    • ext4: The file system type. Replace this with the correct type for your drive (e.g., ntfs, vfat for FAT32, or ext4 for Linux file systems).
    • defaults: This is a standard option that includes several mount options. For most users, defaults is sufficient, but you can customize it further if needed.
    • 0: This value tells the system whether to dump the file system. Set it to 0 unless you know otherwise.
    • 2: This controls the order in which file systems are checked at boot. For non-root partitions, this should be set to 2.
  2. Once you’ve added the line, press Ctrl + O to save the changes and Ctrl + X to exit Nano.

Step 4: Test the fstab Changes

Before rebooting, it’s a good idea to test your changes to ensure they work correctly. If there’s a mistake in the fstab file, your system may not boot correctly, so it’s better to check now.

  1. In the terminal, type:
sudo mount -a

  1. This command tells the system to mount all file systems listed in the fstab file without requiring a reboot. If there’s an error in your fstab file, it will be displayed here.
  2. Check if your folder has been mounted by typing df -h or by navigating to the folder in the file manager.

Step 5: Reboot the System

If everything is working as expected, you can now reboot your system to ensure the folder auto-mounts on startup.

  1. In the terminal, type:
sudo reboot

2. After the system restarts, check whether your folder is mounted by running df -h again or by browsing to the folder in the file manager.

If everything is set up correctly, your folder will be automatically mounted whenever you boot your system.

Additional Considerations

While the above process works for most users, here are a few additional tips and considerations:

  • Network Drives: If you’re auto-mounting a folder from a network location, you may need to use different options, like nfs or cifs, instead of ext4.
  • Permissions: Ensure that the folder you want to mount has the proper permissions set. You may need to adjust the fstab options to specify the user, group, or access rights.
  • Backup Your fstab: Always make a backup of the fstab file before editing it. If you accidentally make an error, you can restore the backup by typing sudo cp /etc/fstab.backup /etc/fstab.

Conclusion

Auto-mounting a folder in Linux Mint simplifies the process of accessing important drives or network shares. By following these steps, you can ensure that your folder is automatically available every time you boot your system. Whether it’s for an external hard drive, a shared folder, or a network location, the fstab file makes auto-mounting easy and reliable. Always remember to back up your fstab file before making any changes to avoid potential boot issues.

Fedya Serafiev

Fedya Serafiev

Fedya Serafiev owns the website linuxcodelab.eu. He finds satisfaction in helping people solve even the most complex technical problems. His current goal is to write easy-to-follow articles so that such problems do not arise at all.

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