Where Are systemd Journal Logs Stored?
systemd journal directory under /var/log/journal with persistent binary logs and vacuuming.
Last updated
systemd-journald writes binary logs under /var/log/journal when persistent storage is enabled, keyed by machine ID. Without that directory, logs live only in memory under /run and vanish on reboot.
Query them with journalctl, never by reading the files raw. Vacuuming caps the size so the folder cannot fill the disk.
Where Linux stores this, by platform
/var/log/journal
Persistent journal files per machine ID live here when Storage=persistent. Query with journalctl -b for this boot or --since for ranges. Cap size with SystemMaxUse in journald.conf and vacuum with journalctl --vacuum-size. Volatile-only systems keep logs in /run/log/journal until reboot.
Frequently asked questions
Why are old Linux logs missing after reboot?
Persistent journal storage is off, so logs lived in /run only. Create /var/log/journal or set Storage=persistent to keep history.
How do I limit journal disk usage?
Set SystemMaxUse in /etc/systemd/journald.conf and run journalctl --vacuum-size to trim immediately.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.