---
name: "warnquota"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "quota-tools"
version: "1:4.11-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/warnquota"
---

# warnquota(8)

send mail to users over quota

## NAME

warnquota - send mail to users over quota

## SYNOPSIS

**warnquota** \[ **-ugsid** \] \[ **-F** *quotaformat* \] \[ **-q** *quotatab* \] \[ **-c** *configfile* \] \[ **-a** *adminsfile* \] \[ *filesystem*... \]

## DESCRIPTION

**warnquota** checks the disk quota for specified local filesystems (or for each local filesystem if none specified) and mails a warning message to those users who have reached their softlimit.  It is typically run via [**cron**(8)](/cron/8.md).

- **-F, --format=*quotaformat***

  Perform setting for specified format (ie. don't perform format autodetection). Possible format names are: **vfsold** Original quota format with 16-bit UIDs / GIDs, **vfsv0** Quota format with 32-bit UIDs / GIDs, 64-bit space usage, 32-bit inode usage and limits, **vfsv1** Quota format with 64-bit quota limits and usage, **xfs** Quota on XFS filesystem.

- **-q, --quota-tab=*quotatab***

  Use *quotatab* instead of */etc/quotatab* as file with device description strings (see [**quotatab**(5)](/quotatab/5.md) for syntax).

- **-c, --config=*configfile***

  Use *configfile* instead of */etc/warnquota.conf* as configuration file (see [**warnquota.conf**(5)](/warnquota.conf/5.md) for syntax).

- **-a, --admins-file=*adminsfile***

  Use *adminsfile* instead of */etc/quotagrpadmins* as a file with administrators of the groups (see [**quotagrpadmins**(5)](/quotagrpadmins/5.md) for syntax).

- **-u, --user**

  check whether users are not exceeding quotas (default).

- **-g, --group**

  check whether groups are not exceeding quotas. If group is exceeding quota a mail is sent to the user specified in /etc/quotagrpadmins.

- **-s, --human-readable\[=*units*\]**

  Try to report used space, number of used inodes and limits in more appropriate units than the default ones. Units can be also specified explicitely by an optional argument in format \[ **kgt** \],\[ **kgt** \] where the first character specifies space units and the second character specifies inode units.

- **-i, --no-autofs**

  ignore mountpoints mounted by automounter.

- **-d, --no-details**

  do not attach quota report in email.

## FILES

- **aquota.user**

  quota file at the filesystem root (version 2 quota, non-XFS filesystems)

- **quota.user**

  quota file at the filesystem root (version 1 quota, non-XFS filesystems)

- **/etc/warnquota.conf**

  configuration file

- **/etc/quotatab**

  device description

- **/etc/quotagrpadmins**

  administrators of the groups

- **/etc/mtab**

  default filesystems

- **/etc/passwd**

  default set of users

## SEE ALSO

[**quota**(1)](/quota/1.md), [**quotatab**(5)](/quotatab/5.md), [**quotagrpadmins**(5)](/quotagrpadmins/5.md), [**warnquota.conf**(5)](/warnquota.conf/5.md), [**cron**(8)](/cron/8.md), [**edquota**(8)](/edquota/8.md).

## AUTHORS

[**warnquota**(8)](/warnquota/8.md) was written by Marco van Wieringen \<mvw@planets.elm.net\>, modifications by Jan Kara \<jack@suse.cz\>. This reference page written by Heiko Schlittermann \<heiko@lotte.sax.de\>, modifications by Jan Kara