What this guide covers
Volumio can automatically detect and mount additional storage disks for your music library. This works on any Volumio installation - Raspberry Pi, x86, official hardware, community ports - across Volumio 3 and Volumio 4.
Step 1: Identify your boot disk
Volumio boots from one disk. That disk already contains three partitions (boot, volumio, volumio_data). Do not format, relabel, or repartition the boot disk.
If you are unsure which disk is the boot disk, SSH into Volumio and run:
sudo lsblk -f
The boot disk has partitions labeled “boot”, “volumio”, and “volumio_data”. Common boot disks:
- mmcblk0 - SD card (Raspberry Pi default)
- sda - USB stick, USB SSD, or SATA drive (x64 default, or Pi booting from USB)
- nvme0n1 - NVMe SSD (Pi5 after “Install to Disk”, or x64 with NVMe)
Step 2: Understand the label system
Volumio recognizes four filesystem labels (case-sensitive):
- issd
- ihdd
- Internal SSD
- Internal HDD
Any non-boot disk carrying one of these labels will be automatically mounted as internal storage and appear in the Music Library.
Multiple internal disks are supported. Each disk with a recognized label will be mounted.
Note: USB-connected drives are detected automatically regardless of label. The label system described here is for non-USB attached storage such as NVMe, SATA, or secondary SD cards.
Step 3: Prepare the disk
The disk needs a supported filesystem with one of the recognized labels. Supported filesystems: ext4, FAT32, exFAT, NTFS.
The preferred method is to create a partition table with a single partition spanning the full capacity. Whole-disk filesystems (no partition table) are also handled, but test your particular case to confirm reliable operation.
Choose the method that matches your situation.
All methods below erase the target disk. Back up any data first. Make sure you are working on the correct disk - not the boot disk identified in Step 1.
From a Windows PC:
- Connect the disk to your Windows PC
- Open Disk Management (right-click Start button, select “Disk Management”)
- Delete any existing partitions on the target disk
- Right-click unallocated space, select “New Simple Volume”
- Use the full disk size
- Format as FAT32 (32GB or smaller) or exFAT (larger than 32GB)
- Set the Volume Label to: issd
- Complete the wizard and safely eject
Windows cannot create ext4 partitions without third-party tools. FAT32 or exFAT work fine.
From a Mac:
- Connect the disk
- Open Disk Utility (Applications → Utilities → Disk Utility)
- Select the physical disk (not a partition)
- Click “Erase”
- Name: issd
- Format: MS-DOS (FAT) for 32GB or smaller, ExFAT for larger
- Scheme: Master Boot Record
- Click “Erase” and safely eject
From a Linux desktop using GParted:
- Open GParted, select the correct disk from the dropdown
- Device → Create Partition Table → msdos (MBR) → Apply
- Create a new partition using the full disk
- Format as ext4
- Right-click the partition → Label File System → enter: issd
- Apply all operations and safely eject
If using GNOME Disks: use “Format Disk” first to create a partition table, then create a partition, then format. Formatting a whole disk directly in GNOME Disks creates a filesystem without a partition table.
From Volumio via SSH:
-
Enable SSH at http://volumio.local/dev
-
Connect: ssh volumio@volumio.local (password: volumio)
-
Identify the target disk:
sudo lsblk -f -
Create partition table, partition, and filesystem:
For NVMe (example: /dev/nvme0n1):
sudo parted /dev/nvme0n1 --script mklabel msdos sudo parted /dev/nvme0n1 --script mkpart primary ext4 0% 100% sudo mkfs.ext4 -L issd /dev/nvme0n1p1For SATA/USB (example: /dev/sda):
sudo parted /dev/sda --script mklabel msdos sudo parted /dev/sda --script mkpart primary ext4 0% 100% sudo mkfs.ext4 -L issd /dev/sda1Adjust the device name to match your disk.
-
Reboot: sudo reboot
Relabeling an existing disk (without erasing data)
If the disk already has a formatted partition and you only need to change the label:
| Format | Command |
|---|---|
| ext4: | sudo e2label /dev/sdX1 issd |
| FAT32: | sudo fatlabel /dev/sdX1 issd |
| exFAT: | sudo exfatlabel /dev/sdX1 issd |
| NTFS: | sudo ntfslabel /dev/sdX1 issd |
Replace /dev/sdX1 with your actual partition device. Then reboot Volumio.
Step 4: Connect and rescan
- Connect the labeled disk to your Volumio device (or reboot if already connected)
- Wait for Volumio to fully boot (1-3 minutes)
- Go to Settings → My Music → Rescan
- Music appears under Internal Storage in the Music Library
To copy music from a network computer:
- Windows: open \\volumio.local\Internal Storage in File Explorer
- macOS: Finder → Go → Connect to Server → smb://volumio.local
- Linux: file manager address bar → smb://volumio.local
Verification
If the disk does not appear, SSH into Volumio and run:
sudo lsblk -f
sudo blkid
Check that the disk shows a supported filesystem type, the correct label, and a mount point.
Things to avoid
- Do not edit /etc/fstab manually. This can cause boot failures and breaks OTA updates.
- Do not create manual symlinks to /var/lib/mpd/music/. Volumio manages this automatically.
- Do not edit /boot/config.txt or /boot/volumioconfig.txt for disk mounting purposes.
- Do not use labels that match Volumio system partitions: boot, volumio, volumio_data.
- Do not format or relabel any partition on the boot disk.
Troubleshooting
Disk not visible in Music Library:
Verify label and filesystem type using lsblk -f and blkid.
Permission denied when copying via network share:
From SSH: sudo chown -R volumio:volumio /data/INTERNAL
Boot failure after adding disk:
Usually caused by manual /etc/fstab entries. Remove the fstab entry and use the label method.
Disk was previously a Volumio boot disk:
Wipe the disk and create a single partition with a recognized label. Volumio ignores partitions named boot, volumio, or volumio_data.
Kind Regards,