> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://til.devjugal.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://til.devjugal.com/linux/journalctl/clear-journalctl-logs.md).

# Clear Journald Logs

Journalctl can accumulate a lot of system logs over time being, we can clear the logs using `--vacuum-time` or `--vacuum-size` argument.

## Clear Logs by Time

Only retain last 3 days of logs:

```bash
journalctl --vacuum-time=3d
```

## Clear Logs by Size

Only retain 1 GB of logs:

```bash
journalctl --vacuum-size=1G
```

## Set Max Log Size

You can configure the max log size in `/etc/systemd/journald.conf`:

```ini
SystemMaxUse=1G
```

Then restart the journald service:

```bash
systemctl restart systemd-journald
```