Creating a Portable Drive for Linux

Picking a File System

The ntfs and exFAT file systems offer relatively straightforward cross-platform operating system compatibility. However, if these files systems are used for portable drives, then any files copied to them from a Linux-based file system will have their permissions modified (lost) such that all files become executable. Subsequent copies back to the original Linux file system results in all of the files being listed as executable. This is particularly annoying if you use file-type icons as all files will now look the same. To resolve this issue, one should use a Linux file-system such as ext4.

Formatting

To format a portable drive, plug it into the computer and list all the available devices:

sudo fdisk -l

Once the <device> has been identified (e.g. /dev/sdd), format it with the ext4 file system:

sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdd -L <name-for-the-drive>

The device will then be empty with a single lost+found directory on it. This directory is used for file corruption handling and can be ignored for day-to-day use.

Confirm that the file system type (FSTYPE) is listed as ext4:

lsblk -o +FSTYPE

Mounting

Mount the device if it hasn't been mounted already, either use your preferred tool for mounting or mount it explicitly via the command line:

mount -t ext4 <device> <mount-path>

The <mount-path> is usually /mnt/ or /run/media/<username>/, whichever is available and/or preferred.

List all mounted devices to check if the device has been mounted:

lsblk

You can see where devices are mounted under the MOUNTPOINTS column.

Alternatively, use the mount command without any arguments which produces a more comprehensive and verbose output:

mount

Reading and Writing

To be able to read from and write to the device, one must make their user an owner of the device:

sudo chown -R <username> <mount-path>

Unmounting

To unmount the device before unplugging it, either use your preferred tool for unmounting or unmount it explicitly via the command line:

unmount <device>

Alternatively, one may also unmount the device by specifying the <mount-path> (i.e. the path that was specified when mounting the drive):

unmount <mount-path>

If unsure of the mount path, use either the lsblk or mount commands without any arguments.