ext4 - lost+found empty folder

[rado84]

Ever since I reformatted my 2 hard drives to ext4, a weird empty folder appeared in each of them named "lost+found".
What is that folder for and is it ok if I delete it or hide it by placing a dot in it's name?

 

[JasKinasis]

If memory serves - you cannot delete the lost+found directory because it is a permanent part of the file-system.

The lost+found directory is used by fsck. When fsck checks your disk for errors - any corrupt data, or orphaned files will be put in lost+found.

Typically lost+found won't contain full files, or recoverable files - only fragments of files. But you may be able to piece a corrupt/damaged file back together using data in lost+found.

And if the corrupt data in lost+found is of no use, it can be deleted via the command line (as root).

But the lost+found directory itself cannot be removed!

[edit]
Just to back me up - I've just used a bit of duckduckgo-fu to check my facts and found this:

What Is the lost+found Folder on Linux and macOS?

The lost+found folder is a part of Linux, macOS, and other UNIX-like operating systems. Each file system—that is, each partition—has its own lost+found directory. You’ll find recovered bits of corrupted files here.

www.howtogeek.com

Looks like my memory was on point for once! Ha ha!
[/edit]