Increase disk size for an EC2 instance in AWS

While using Amazon Web Services (AWS) you may find that, when using one of the Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) provided, you may run out of disk space. There does not appear to be any way to “resize” an Elastic Block Store (EBS) volume; however, you can create a new one based on an existing snapshot and replace the current drive with a larger one. I have provided the instructions for doing so below.

1. Log into the AWS Management Console
2. Make sure that the Instance that you wish to change is not currently running
3. Navigate to Elastic Block Store > Volumes
4. Check the box next to the Volume that needs more space
5. Click the More… drop down list and select Create Snapshot
6. Enter a Name and a Description
7. Navigate to Elastic Block Store> Snapshots
8. Monitor the progress of the Snapshot for completion
9. Once complete, navigate back to Elastic Block Store > Volumes
10. Click Create Volume
11. Enter the desired size for the new volume
12. Make sure that you select the same Availability Zone for your instance
13. Select the Snapshot that you just created
14. Click Yes, Create
15. Monitor the progress of the Volume for completion
16. Once complete, Check the box next to the Volume that is currently connected to the Instance
17. Make sure that no other Volumes are selected
18. Click the More… drop down list and select Click the More… drop down list and select Detach Volume
19. Uncheck the box selected and check the box next to the new Volume
20. Click the More… drop down list and select Click the More… drop down list and select Attach Volume
21. Select the Instance that you wish to change
22. Change the value in Device from xvdf  to /dev/sda1
23. Click Yes, Attach
24. Navigate to Instances and start your Instance
25. Once you are satisfied that the volume works, feel free to delete the Snapshot and old Volume if you like

You will need to take additional steps to extend the size of your partition to use the rest of the allocated space. The process for doing so will vary depending on the operating system that you are using.