Wipefs
lastmod 2026-02-06created 2020-07-045 edits
A command that removes file system signatures (magic bytes) from a disk. It does not delete the actual data; it only erases the header portions that identify the partition table or file system.
Usage
sudo wipefs -a /dev/sdb
# -a: 모든 시그니처 제거 (GPT, MBR, ext4, vfat 등)
# 디스크를 "빈 상태"로 만들어서 새 파티션 작업 시 충돌 방지
Unlike wiping the whole disk with dd if=/dev/zero, it quickly erases only the signatures, so it finishes almost instantly.
Display or show current signatures
Type the following command: