volname

Volname, short for volume name, refers to the human-readable identifier assigned to a storage volume, such as a disk, partition, or disk image. The volname is used by operating systems and applications to identify volumes during mounting, browsing, and scripting. It is stored as metadata within the filesystem’s structures, and the precise storage location and allowed characters depend on the filesystem type.

Across platforms, volname is commonly called a filesystem label or volume label. On Unix-like systems, tools like e2label, tune2fs, xfs_admin, or ntfslabel read and modify the label. In Linux desktop environments, the volname is shown in file managers and mount prompts. In Windows, the equivalent is the volume label; it can be viewed and changed through Disk Management, the label command, or File Explorer. In macOS, the volume name appears in Finder and can be changed with Disk Utility or diskutil when handling disks or images.

Usage includes identifying targets for mounting, selecting backup destinations, and organizing removable media. The volname is separate from other identifiers such as the filesystem type or the volume serial number, which may be fixed or system-generated and can differ from the label.

See also: filesystem label, volume label.