Adding an Automount Drive on Linux

This guide explains how to configure a drive to automount at boot using /etc/fstab.

Steps

List drives and partitions:

lsblk -f

Find the target partition (e.g., /dev/sdc1) and note its UUID:

blkid /dev/sdc1

Choose or create a directory where the drive will mount:

sudo mkdir -p /mnt/mydrive

Always back up before editing:

sudo cp /etc/fstab /etc/fstab.bak

Open /etc/fstab with an editor:

sudo nano /etc/fstab

Add a line with the drive's UUID, mount point, filesystem type, and options. Example for ext4:

UUID=your-uuid-here /mnt/mydrive ext4 defaults 0 2

Replace your-uuid-here with the actual UUID.

Mount all entries without rebooting:

sudo mount -a

Check if the drive is mounted:

df -h | grep /mnt/mydrive

danger

If the test fails and you still reboot, the system will drop to emergency mode and manual intervention is required.

In that case SSH WON'T WORK

Reboot the system and confirm the drive automounts:

sudo reboot

After reboot:

mount | grep /mnt/mydrive

note

Use defaults for standard mount options.
For other filesystems (e.g., NTFS, FAT32), adjust filesystem type and options accordingly.
If mounting fails at boot, system may drop to emergency mode; always test with mount -a first.