How To Add Swap Space on Ubuntu 16.04

Swap space is an area on a hard drive that is used as a virtual memory extension of a computer's RAM. It can improve the performance of a system that is running low on physical memory (RAM).

Step 1: Check for Existing Swap Space

Before creating a new swap space, it is important to check if there is any existing swap space on your system. You can check this by typing the following command in your terminal:

sudo swapon --show

Step 2: Create a Swap File

If you do not have an existing swap space, you can create a new swap file. You can create a swap file by typing the following command:

sudo fallocate -l [size]G /swapfile

Replace [size] with the size of the swap file you want to create in gigabytes (GB). For example, if you want to create a 4GB swap file, the command would be:

sudo fallocate -l 4G /swapfile

Step 3: Set Permissions for the Swap File

After creating the swap file, you need to set the correct permissions for the file. You can do this by typing the following command:

sudo chmod 600 /swapfile

Step 4: Set Up the Swap File

Now that the swap file has been created and the permissions have been set, you can set up the swap file by typing the following command:

sudo mkswap /swapfile

Step 5: Enable the Swap File

Finally, you need to enable the swap file by typing the following command:

sudo swapon /swapfile

You can verify that the swap file has been enabled by typing the following command:

sudo swapon --show

Now you have successfully added swap space to your Ubuntu 16.04 system.

Keywords: Ubuntu, swap space, tutorial, virtual memory, RAM, terminal, existing swap space, swap file, fallocate, mkswap, swapon.