How to Shrink an LVM Volume Formatted with XFS

Updated: 28 September 2026 · Applies to: LVM 2.03 and xfsprogs/xfsdump on AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux 9 and 10, RHEL 9 and 10, Ubuntu 24.04 and 26.04, Debian 13

XFS file systems cannot be shrunk; there is no command for it. To make an LVM volume that holds XFS smaller, you back up the data, reduce the volume, create a new XFS file system on it and restore the data. We tested the steps below on AlmaLinux 9 with LVM 2.03.33, including the --fs ignore option that current LVM versions need.

Before you start

• The file system will be unmounted for the whole procedure, so plan downtime. This method does not work for the root file system (/) of a running system; for that, boot from rescue media, or move the data to a new, smaller volume instead.
• You need free space elsewhere for the backup, at least the size of the used data (df -h).
• Stop the services that use the file system.
• Install the tools: dnf install xfsdump or apt install xfsdump.

Shrink the volume

The example shrinks /dev/vg00/data, mounted on /data, to 50 GB.

1. Back up the file system to a file on another disk:

   xfsdump -l 0 -L data -M backup -f /backup/data.xfsdump /data

   It must end with "Dump Status: SUCCESS". Copy the file off the server too if the data matters.
2. Unmount it: umount /data
3. Reduce the logical volume. Choose a size larger than the used data:

   lvreduce --fs ignore -L 50G /dev/vg00/data

   Current LVM (2.03.17 and later, on AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux and RHEL 9 and 10, Debian 13 and Ubuntu 26.04) refuses to reduce a volume that contains XFS, with "File system reduce is required and not supported (xfs)". --fs ignore tells it you will re-create the file system yourself. Ubuntu 24.04 has LVM 2.03.16, which does not know this option; leave it out there.
4. Create a new XFS file system on the smaller volume:

   mkfs.xfs -f /dev/vg00/data

5. Mount it again. If /etc/fstab refers to the file system by UUID, update the UUID first: the new file system has a new one (see blkid /dev/vg00/data).

   mount /data

6. Restore the data:

   xfsrestore -f /backup/data.xfsdump /data

   It must end with "Restore Status: SUCCESS".
7. Check the size and the data, then start your services again:

   df -h /data

The space you freed is now free in the volume group (vgs) and can be given to another volume with lvextend -r.

Common problems

• "File system reduce is required and not supported (xfs)": add --fs ignore as in step 3.
• "lvreduce: unrecognized option '--fs'": your LVM is older than 2.03.17; run the command without it.
• mount fails after reboot: the UUID in /etc/fstab is the old one. Update it from blkid.

To grow an XFS file system instead, see how to grow an XFS file system with xfs_growfs.

Official documentation: lvreduce manual page and xfsdump manual page.