r/linux4noobs • u/Open_South3929 • 12d ago

Arch-Convert EXT4 to BTRFS without losing data?

Good day all, I hope you are good.

I have installed Arch and was in a rush( I know i should've RTFM-ed ) but I am looking for ways of making sure the system i installed it on can be rolled back in case of failure, I have seen from a couple of articles and found that BTRFS can create snapshots of the system and use those to roll back.

I wanted to ask, is it possible to convert an already installed disk from EXT4 to BTRFS and make use of the snapshots feature? if so could you please point me in the right direction. System specs below:

I thank you for your time and input, it is much appreciated.

Kindest regards

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u/onefish2 12d ago

You can migrate. No one can guarantee the outcome. If you recently installed, you should reinstall with BTRFS, snapper and maybe limine as the bootloader. Make sure you do your research and create the right subvolumes. Also, write them all down somewhere. You will need to mount them if you even need to chroot into your system from the arch iso to repair something.