You can move the /home folder on Ubuntu, but you must do it carefully to avoid breaking your system. Below are the steps to safely move /home to a new location.

1. Create a Backup (Recommended)

Before proceeding, create a backup of your home folder in case anything goes wrong.

sudo tar -czvf /home_backup.tar.gz /home

2. Create a New Partition or Mount Point (If Needed)

If you’re moving /home to a different partition or disk, make sure it’s properly formatted and mounted.

For example, if you want to use a new disk (e.g., /dev/sdb1):

sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdb1
sudo mkdir /mnt/newhome
sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/newhome

3. Copy the Home Folder

Copy all user data to the new location while preserving permissions:

sudo rsync -aXS /home/ /mnt/newhome/

4. Update fstab

Edit /etc/fstab to mount the new home directory at boot.

sudo nano /etc/fstab

Add this line at the end (adjust the path accordingly):

/dev/sdb1  /home  ext4  defaults  0  2

If you prefer using the UUID, first find it:

sudo blkid

Then, add this line instead:

UUID=your-uuid /home ext4 defaults 0 2

5. Unmount Old Home and Mount New One

Switch to a different session (e.g., TTY):

Ctrl + Alt + F3

Log in and stop processes using /home:

sudo systemctl stop gdm  # For GNOME (or use sddm/lightdm if applicable)

Unmount and remount:

sudo umount /home
sudo mount /home

6. Verify and Reboot

Check that everything is in place:

ls /home

If everything looks good, reboot:

sudo reboot

Things to Keep in Mind

• If you’re logged in as a regular user, switch to a root shell (sudo -i) or use a temporary user with administrative privileges.

• If you face permission issues, you might need to reapply ownership:

sudo chown -R username:username /home/username