VisParted Partition Editor Manual
VisParted is a full-featured partition editor built for Parted Magic. Specifically, it combines the capabilities of KDE Partition Manager and Blivet-GUI into a single Python/GTK3 partitioning tool designed for disk partitioning, resizing, moving, copying, secure erase, and data recovery workflows. Moreover, VisParted supports in-place MBR ↔ GPT conversion and LVM management — features most partition manager tools do not offer.
Partition Editor Interface Overview
The partition editor main window has four areas: the device selector at the top, the graphical partition bar below it, the partition list table, and the action bar at the bottom with grouped toolbar buttons.
Device Selector
The dropdown at the top of the window lists all detected storage devices. To view a device’s partition layout, simply select it from the dropdown. In addition, metadata badges next to the dropdown show the disk size, partition table type (MBR or GPT), transport type (SATA, NVMe, USB), and S.M.A.R.T. health status.
Partition Bar
The graphical bar shows all partitions as colored segments proportional to their size. Each segment displays the partition number, device path, and size. In addition, the fill level within each segment indicates used space, and unallocated regions appear as dark gaps between partitions. To select a partition, click any segment — VisParted then highlights the selected partition with a bright border and shows its details in the table below.
Partition Editor Action Bar
The action bar uses labeled rows: FILESYSTEM for format and check operations, PARTITION for create/delete/resize/copy operations, and DEVICE for disk-level actions like creating partition tables, cloning, and rescue. In addition, VisParted enables or disables buttons based on the current selection. Furthermore, disabled buttons appear dimmed with a tooltip explaining why they remain unavailable.
Partition Editor Operations
Create a New Partition
First, select an unallocated region in the partition bar, then click New. The partition editor then shows a draggable visual dialog where you can position the partition within the free space using the handles or by entering exact values for free space preceding, partition size, and free space following. Next, choose a filesystem type and optionally set a label; on MBR disks, also select the partition type (primary, logical, or extended). Finally, click Add to Queue to stage the operation.
On MBR disks, the partition table allows a maximum of 4 primary partition entries. However, VisParted enforces this limit at queue time — if all 4 slots are already in use (including pending operations), the New button displays a message explaining the limit and suggesting GPT conversion.
Delete a Partition
First, select a partition and click Delete. The partition editor then queues the operation, and the partition appears as a ghost segment in the bar until you apply. Note that you must unmount the partition first.
Resize / Move a Partition
First, select a partition and click Resize. The partition editor shows a draggable bar with left and right handles. To shrink or grow the partition, drag the right handle. Alternatively, to move the partition within its available space, drag the left handle or the body instead. The used space within the partition shows as a brighter fill — therefore, you cannot shrink below the used space.
In addition, the partition editor queries the actual minimum size from filesystem tools (resize2fs for ext4, ntfsresize for NTFS, fsck.fat for FAT) rather than using fixed minimums. As a result, this prevents data loss from shrinking below used space.
Moving the start of a partition is a complex operation that relocates every byte of filesystem data to a new disk offset. However, VisParted handles this safely for ext2/3/4, NTFS, FAT16/32, btrfs, and other supported filesystems. For example, ext4 left-moves use e2image (sparse, fast), while right-moves use a chunk-based reverse copy to prevent overlap corruption. Similarly, for NTFS, the sparse bitmap copy handles both directions. Finally, after every move, VisParted patches the boot sector hidden-sectors field for FAT and NTFS partitions so they remain bootable.
Format a Partition
First, select a partition and click Format. Next, choose from the supported filesystem types and optionally set a label. Furthermore, the partition editor first wipes existing filesystem signatures with wipefs, then creates the new filesystem with the appropriate mkfs tool. Note that you must unmount the partition first.
Check / Repair a Filesystem
Select a partition and click Check. Specifically, the partition editor runs the filesystem-specific check and repair tool: e2fsck for ext2/3/4, ntfsresize -i for NTFS, fsck.fat for FAT, btrfs check for btrfs, and xfs_repair for XFS. If the tool can repair the filesystem, it does so automatically. Additionally, the operation runs a maximize step that grows the filesystem to fill the entire partition if any unused space remains at the end.
Copy and Paste
First, select a partition and click Copy (or Ctrl+C). Then select an unallocated region or an existing partition and click Paste (or Ctrl+V). When you paste into unallocated space, the partition editor shows a dialog that lets you position and optionally resize the destination. However, when you paste into an existing partition, VisParted overwrites the destination directly.
For best results, VisParted uses the filesystem’s native copy tool: for example, e2image for ext2/3/4, ntfsclone for NTFS, and dd with boot sector patching for FAT. Moreover, if the destination is slightly smaller than the source due to sector alignment, VisParted automatically shrinks the source filesystem to fit before copying. Finally, after the copy completes, VisParted checks the destination filesystem and optionally grows it to fill the available space.
Shred a Partition
First, select a partition and click Shred. Specifically, this securely overwrites all data on the partition with random data before deleting the partition entry. Note that you must unmount the partition first. In addition, this is a queued operation — therefore, the overwrite happens only when you apply the queue.
Partition Editor Mount and Unmount
To mount a partition, select it and click Mount. If the partition has an fstab entry, VisParted uses that mount point automatically. Otherwise, VisParted prompts you to enter a mount point. In addition, VisParted automatically loads the required kernel module (for example, reiserfs, jfs, nilfs2) before attempting the mount.
To unmount a mounted partition, click Unmount. Furthermore, some operations (delete, format, resize, shred) require an unmounted partition first — in these cases, VisParted tells you when this applies.
MBR ↔ GPT Partition Table Conversion
In the Device row, click Convert Table to convert the partition table between MBR and GPT in-place without data loss. Specifically, this is a feature most partition manager tools do not offer — they can only create new (empty) partition tables. Furthermore, you can read about the underlying GPT standard in the UEFI specification.
The conversion uses sgdisk and only modifies the partition table metadata in the first and last few sectors of the disk. As a result, no partition data moves or changes. Instead, VisParted preserves all partitions with their data intact.
MBR to GPT
Pre-flight checks verify that the first partition starts at or after sector 34 (required for the GPT header) and that the last partition ends at least 33 sectors before the disk end (required for the GPT backup header). In addition, if any extended and logical partitions exist, the partition editor converts them to standard GPT partitions. Afterward, the disk supports more than 4 partitions and disks larger than 2 TiB.
GPT to MBR
Pre-flight checks verify that the disk has 4 or fewer partitions, the disk is smaller than 2 TiB, and no partition extends beyond the MBR addressing limit. However, if any check fails, VisParted blocks the conversion and explains clearly what needs to change first.
Partition Editor Filesystem Support
VisParted supports a wide range of filesystems. However, the level of support depends on which userspace tools are installed. To see a matrix of which operations are available for each filesystem, click FS Support.
| Filesystem | Create | Check | Resize | Copy | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ext2 / ext3 / ext4 | ✓ | ✓ | Grow + Shrink | ✓ | ✓ |
| NTFS | ✓ | ✓ | Grow + Shrink | ✓ | ✓ |
| FAT16 / FAT32 | ✓ | ✓ | Grow + Shrink | ✓ | ✓ |
| btrfs | ✓ | ✓ | Grow + Shrink | ✓ | ✓ |
| XFS | ✓ | ✓ | Grow only | ✓ | ✓ |
| exFAT | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| f2fs | ✓ | — | Grow only | ✓ | ✓ |
| JFS | ✓ | — | Grow only | ✓ | ✓ |
| nilfs2 | ✓ | — | Grow + Shrink | ✓ | ✓ |
| ReiserFS | ✓ | ✓ | Grow + Shrink | ✓ | ✓ |
| linux-swap | ✓ | — | Grow + Shrink | ✓ | ✓ |
| UDF | ✓ | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
LVM Volume Group Management
To open the LVM Manager dialog, click LVM. Specifically, this provides full management of LVM Volume Groups and Logical Volumes: you can create, resize, remove, and activate or deactivate volume groups and their logical volumes. In addition, you can create physical volumes by formatting a partition as “lvm2 pv” using the Format operation.
Disk Cloning from the Partition Editor
To clone the entire current disk to another disk, click Clone Disk. Specifically, VisParted recreates all partitions on the destination with proportionally scaled sizes and copies each partition’s data using the appropriate filesystem-aware tool. However, the destination disk must be at least as large as the source. For more advanced cloning workflows including network deployment, see Parted Magic Clonezilla.
Partition Rescue
To scan the current disk for lost or deleted partitions, click Rescue. Specifically, VisParted scans the disk surface for filesystem signatures and presents any found partitions for recovery. As a result, this can recover partitions that someone accidentally deleted or that became lost due to partition table corruption.
The Partition Editor Operation Queue
Most partition operations do not apply immediately. Instead, VisParted adds them to a queue and displays them in the pending operations pane at the bottom of the window. As a result, you can stage multiple operations and review them before committing. To apply all pending operations, click the green Execute button (or press Ctrl+Enter). In addition, use Undo (Ctrl+Z) to remove the last queued operation, or Clear to remove all pending operations.
However, operations that modify the partition table directly — such as creating a new partition table, converting between MBR and GPT, and mounting or unmounting — apply immediately and skip the queue.
Partition Editor Sandbox Mode
To toggle sandbox mode, click Sandbox. Specifically, in sandbox mode, no operation writes to disk — instead, VisParted simulates all commands and displays their output. As a result, this mode helps you learn the tool, preview what commands would run, and test workflows without risk. In addition, the sandbox banner at the top of the window indicates when sandbox mode is active.
Partition Editor Keyboard Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+C | Copy selected partition |
| Ctrl+V | Paste into selected target |
| Ctrl+Z | Undo last queued operation |
| Ctrl+Y | Redo last undone operation |
| Ctrl+Enter | Execute all pending operations |
| Ctrl+I | Show partition info |
| Delete | Delete selected partition |
| Ctrl+L | Toggle light/dark theme |
Device Information Panel
To toggle the device information panel, click Device Info. Specifically, this shows detailed information about the current disk: model, serial number, capacity, partition table type, sector size, and BIOS geometry (heads, sectors, cylinders). In addition, S.M.A.R.T. health status appears as a badge in the device metadata area — green for healthy, yellow for warning, red for failing.
Partition Editor Theme Support
VisParted supports both dark and light themes. To switch, click the Light or Dark button. In addition, VisParted saves the theme preference and restores it across sessions.