[RESOLVED] Neon install requires EFI file system of 300MB. How to get around this?

[joneall]

The problem is not the size, it Neon's making it a necessity rather than a suggestion. I'm stuck with an EFI partition of 200MB, which was once considered to be more than enough --- and I suspect it still is. I have increased the partition to 500MB but the file system remains resolutely at 200MB and refuses to get bigger. Every method I have tried claims a magic number error and says it can't be done.

Duckduckgo, when asked "how to grow linux file system size in larger partition" suggests first: "Delete the existing partition (this does not delete the data)", which frightens me completely. It then says to "Create a new partition with the same starting sector but a larger size", which does sound reasonable. But what if it fails?

I could copy all the data in the file system and try that method. The big question is: If the EFI file system is damaged or destroyed, can I reboot my system."

[Qqmike]

Two thoughts, as I read this.

I don't use Neon, but the Kubuntu Calamares installer also "seemed" to require 300MiB.
However, we all discovered that you could simply ignore that "suggestion" and get right past it.

REFInd is a boot manager that boots somewhat directly (stub loader). Rod Smith.
You can install it to any ESP from your OS, or even from a live rEFInd USB.

You do need an ESP to boot your OSs.
I haven't worked with rEFInd for some time, but maybe it can do that sort of thing.
For sure, Rod Smith's website on rEFInd would tell the story.
(On the run here early for awhile, otherwise I could check it, too, just saw your post as my PC booted into KFN.)

[claydoh]

Odd, I thought it was just Calamares (not specific to neon) that wanted a specific size, complain if it was smaller, but still allow you to dismiss the warning install. My single boot setup is using all of 8MiB. My Windows on another drive uses ~36MiB.

I think this is to allow other distros enough space, as some iirc do put more files in there than *buntu does.

Is this why you need a larger partition?

But in any case, you do need to boot to a live ISO session of some sort to be able to resize partitions, for a start.
You also do need to shrink your / partition, or whichever one is next to the EFI partition first in order to make room to exand.

How are you attempting to resize this?

[oshunluvr]

Last time I did an install, it said it needed 300MB, but let me go ahead with the install. In other words - a warning not a hard error. The really dumb thing is it uses less than 7mb of the efi partition.

I cant imagine why someone thought it was necessary to require 40+ times the actual needed space. My Windows 11 efi folder is 23mb of data so even if you were booting Win11 and 10 linux installs.you wouldn't need more than 100mb.

[Qqmike]

👍

[Snowhog]

AI Overview

The KDE neon installer (Calamares) prompts for a 300MB+ EFI System Partition (ESP) to ensure broad compatibility. The logic ensures the partition is large enough to be formatted as FAT32, prevents space issues with bulky vendor firmware updates, and accommodates dual-boot environments without outgrowing its space.
The primary reasons for this guideline include:

• FAT32 Formatting Requirements: The UEFI specification dictates that the ESP must be formatted as FAT32. In Linux, partitioning utilities typically default to FAT16 for anything smaller than 260MB. A 300MB partition guarantees the installer will format it as FAT32.
• Firmware Updates: Modern motherboard firmware updates, when applied through Linux using tools like fwupdmgr, require temporary storage on the EFI partition. These files can occasionally exceed 50-60MB.
• Dual-Boot Safety: In a dual-boot setup (e.g., alongside Windows), the operating systems share a single EFI partition. Windows creates a 100MB to 260MB partition by default, which can become cramped if multiple OS bootloaders are stored alongside critical hardware drivers.

Is 300MB mandatory?
While the KDE neon installer will display a warning if the partition is smaller than 300MB, it is mostly a precautionary measure. If you are installing only KDE neon with the standard GRUB bootloader, the actual boot files will consume less than 30MB, meaning a 100MB to 128MB EFI partition will still function perfectly. You can safely ignore the 300MB warning and proceed with installation if your partition is slightly smaller

[Qqmike]

Yes, Snowhog.

I've been following Rod Smith (gdisk creator; IBM, Linux, Windows UEFI/booting expert) for some years now.
Recently, he started recommending 550 MiB for the following reasons (thanks to AI, I didn't have to dig this out of my notes somewhere or search his site):

-- Linux and UEFI expert Rod Smith explicitly recommends creating an EFI System Partition (ESP) that is at least 550 MiB in size.
He bases this size recommendation on three specific technical factors:

-- FAT16 vs. FAT32 Formatting: The Linux mkdosfs command defaults to formatting partitions smaller than 520 MiB as FAT16,
which can confuse some Linux utilities and cause the Windows installer to fail.

-- Firmware Bugs: Some UEFI motherboard implementations have bugs that cause problems or file readability errors with FAT32 ESPs under 512 MiB.

-- Margin of Safety: Setting the partition to 550 MiB accommodates MiB/MB mathematical confusion and potential disk rounding errors during partitioning.

While smaller ESPs (such as the 100 MiB commonly created by Windows) can work, Smith suggests sticking to 550 MiB to prevent mysterious boot bugs and accommodate dual-boot setups.
You can read his detailed guides and partitioning advice directly on his Roderick W. Smith Partitioning Advice and Managing EFI Boot Loaders for Linux pages.
- - - - - - - - - -

My previous how-to's called for 200-512 MiB.
Disks are large enough that IF YOU THINK to do it NOW before extensively using your system for dual booting & other stuff,
it's probably best maybe to go with the 550 MiB, especially if this will be your system for quite some time into the future.

(I frankly don't worry about any of this ... Yet! ... until maybe my luck runs out ...)

[joneall]

Thanks everyone. I ignored the comment and installed the system just fine.