# man > dumpe2fs(8)

---
type: CommandReference
command: dumpe2fs
mode: man
section: 8
source: man-pages
---

## Quick Reference

- `dumpe2fs /dev/sda1` — print full file system info
- `dumpe2fs -h /dev/sda1` — print only superblock info
- `dumpe2fs -g /dev/sda1` — print group descriptor info in formatted output
- `dumpe2fs -i /path/to/image.img` — examine an image file
- `dumpe2fs -m /dev/sda1` — print MMP block info
- `dumpe2fs -o superblock=12345 /dev/sda1` — use alternative superblock
- `dumpe2fs -o blocksize=4096 /dev/sda1` — specify block size
- `dumpe2fs -f /dev/sda1` — force display even if features unknown

## Name

dumpe2fs - dump ext2/ext3/ext4 file system information

## Synopsis

`dumpe2fs` [ `-bfghixV` ] [ `-o superblock=superblock` ] [ `-o blocksize=blocksize` ] `device`

## Options

- `-b` — (no description given in original)
- `-f` — force display of features even if not understood (may cause suspect display)
- `-g` — display group descriptor information in formatted output. Fields: group number, first block, superblock location (-1 if absent), group descriptor block range, block bitmap location, inode bitmap location, inode table block range.
- `-h` — print only the superblock information (excludes block group details)
- `-i` — interpret `device` as the pathname to an image file
- `-m` — print MMP (Multiple Mount Protection) block information. If used with `-i`, only MMP block info is printed. See `e2mmpstatus(8)`.
- `-o superblock=superblock` — use the specified block as the superblock when examining the file system (usually only needed for recovery)
- `-o blocksize=blocksize` — use blocks of the given size (in bytes) when examining the file system (usually only needed for recovery)
- `-x` — (no description given in original)
- `-V` — print version number and exit

Note: When used with a mounted file system, the printed information may be old or inconsistent.

## Examples

shell
dumpe2fs /dev/sda1
dumpe2fs -h /dev/sda1
dumpe2fs -g /dev/sda1
dumpe2fs -i /path/to/image.img
dumpe2fs -m /dev/sda1
dumpe2fs -o superblock=32768 /dev/sda1
dumpe2fs -o blocksize=1024 /dev/sda1
## See Also

[e2fsck(8)](https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man8/e2fsck.8.html), [e2mmpstatus(8)](https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man8/e2mmpstatus.8.html), [mke2fs(8)](https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man8/mke2fs.8.html), [tune2fs(8)](https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man8/tune2fs.8.html), [ext4(5)](https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man5/ext4.5.html)

## Exit Codes

- `0` — operation completed without errors
- non-zero — errors occurred (e.g., problems reading a valid superblock, bad checksums, or device in use by another node when `-m` is specified)