---
title: Total number of shards for an index on a single node exceeded
description: Elasticsearch takes advantage of all available resources by distributing data (index shards) among the cluster nodes. You can influence this data distribution...
url: https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/troubleshoot/elasticsearch/increase-shard-limit
products:
- Elasticsearch
applies_to:
- Elastic Stack: Generally available
---
# Total number of shards for an index on a single node exceeded
Elasticsearch takes advantage of all available resources by distributing data (index shards) among the cluster nodes.
You can influence this data distribution by configuring the [index.routing.allocation.total_shards_per_node](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/reference/elasticsearch/index-settings/total-shards-per-node#total-shards-per-node) dynamic index setting to restrict the maximum number of shards from a single index that can be allocated to a node.
For example, in case of a highly trafficked index, the value can be set to `1`.
Various configurations limiting how many shards an index can have located on one node can lead to shards being unassigned, because the cluster does not have enough nodes to satisfy the index configuration.
To fix this issue, complete the following steps:
1. [Check and adjust the index allocation settings](#adjust-index-allocation-settings) to determine the current value and increase it if needed.
2. [Determine which data tier needs more capacity](#determine-data-tier) to identify the tier where shards need to be allocated.
3. [Resize your deployment](#resize-deployment) to add capacity and accommodate additional shards.
## Check and adjust the index allocation settings
The `index.routing.allocation.total_shards_per_node` setting controls the maximum number of shards that can be collocated on a node in your cluster. When this limit is reached, Elasticsearch cannot assign new shards to that node, leading to unassigned shards in your cluster.
By checking the current value and increasing it, you allow more shards to be collocated on each node, which might resolve the allocation issue without adding more capacity to your cluster.
You can run the following steps using either [API console](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/explore-analyze/query-filter/tools/console) or direct [Elasticsearch API](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/reference/elasticsearch/rest-apis) calls.
### Check the current index setting
Use the [get index settings](https://www.elastic.co/docs/api/doc/elasticsearch/operation/operation-indices-get-settings) API to inspect the `index.routing.allocation.total_shards_per_node` value for the index with unassigned shards:
```json
```
The response looks like this:
```json
{
"my-index-000001": {
"settings": {
"index.routing.allocation.total_shards_per_node": "1"
}
}
}
```
### Increase the setting
Use the [update index settings](https://www.elastic.co/docs/api/doc/elasticsearch/operation/operation-indices-put-settings) API to increase the value for the total number of shards that can be assigned on a node to a higher value that accommodates your workload:
```json
{
"index" : {
"routing.allocation.total_shards_per_node" : "2" <1>
}
}
```
## Determine which data tier needs more capacity
If increasing the index shard limit alone doesn't resolve the issue, or if you want to distribute shards more evenly, you need to identify which [data tier](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/manage-data/lifecycle/data-tiers) requires additional capacity.
Use the [get index settings](https://www.elastic.co/docs/api/doc/elasticsearch/operation/operation-indices-get-settings) API to retrieve the configured value for the `index.routing.allocation.include._tier_preference` setting:
```json
```
The response looks like this:
```json
{
"my-index-000001": {
"settings": {
"index.routing.allocation.include._tier_preference": "data_warm,data_hot"
}
}
}
```
1. Represents a comma-separated list of data tier node roles this index is allowed to be allocated on. The first tier in the list has the highest priority and is the tier the index is targeting. In this example, the tier preference is `data_warm,data_hot`, so the index is targeting the `warm` tier. If the warm tier lacks capacity, the index will fall back to the `data_hot` tier.
## Resize your deployment
After you've identified the tier that needs more capacity, you can resize your deployment to distribute the shard load and allow previously unassigned shards to be allocated.
In ECE, resizing is limited by your [allocator capacity](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/deploy-manage/deploy/cloud-enterprise/ece-manage-capacity).
To resize your deployment and increase its capacity by expanding a data tier or adding a new one, use the following options:**Option 1: Configure Autoscaling**
1. Log in to the [Elastic Cloud console](https://cloud.elastic.co?page=docs&placement=docs-body) or ECE Cloud UI.
2. On the home page, find your deployment and select **Manage**.
3. Go to **Actions** > **Edit deployment** and check that autoscaling is enabled. Adjust the **Enable Autoscaling for** dropdown menu as needed and select **Save**.
4. If autoscaling is successful, the cluster returns to a `healthy` status.
If the cluster is still out of disk, check if autoscaling has reached its set limits and [update your autoscaling settings](/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/deploy-manage/autoscaling/autoscaling-in-ece-and-ech#ec-autoscaling-update).
**Option 2: Configure deployment size and tiers**You can increase the deployment capacity by editing the deployment and adjusting the size of the existing data tiers or adding new ones.
1. In Kibana, open your deployment’s navigation menu (placed under the Elastic logo in the upper left corner) and go to **Manage this deployment**.
2. From the right hand side, click to expand the **Manage** dropdown button and select **Edit deployment** from the list of options.
3. On the **Edit** page, increase capacity for the data tier you identified earlier by either adding a new tier with **+ Add capacity** or adjusting the size of an existing one. Choose the desired size and availability zones for that tier.
4. Navigate to the bottom of the page and click the **Save** button.
**Option 3: Change the hardware profiles/deployment templates**You can change the [hardware profile](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/deploy-manage/deploy/elastic-cloud/ec-change-hardware-profile) for Elastic Cloud Hosted deployments or [deployment template](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/deploy-manage/deploy/cloud-enterprise/deployment-templates) of the Elastic Cloud Enterprise cluster to one with a higher disk-to-memory ratio.**Option 4: Elastic Cloud Enterprise: Generally available Override disk quota**Elastic Cloud Enterprise administrators can temporarily override the disk quota of Elasticsearch nodes in real time as explained in [Resource overrides](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/deploy-manage/deploy/cloud-enterprise/resource-overrides). We strongly recommend making this change only under the guidance of Elastic Support, and only as a temporary measure or for troubleshooting purposes.
To increase the data node capacity in your cluster, you can [add more nodes](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/deploy-manage/maintenance/add-and-remove-elasticsearch-nodes) to the cluster and assign the index’s target tier [node role](/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/manage-data/lifecycle/data-tiers#configure-data-tiers-on-premise) to the new nodes, or increase the disk capacity of existing nodes. Disk expansion procedures depend on your operating system and storage infrastructure and are outside the scope of Elastic support. In practice, this is often achieved by [removing a node from the cluster](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/deploy-manage/maintenance/add-and-remove-elasticsearch-nodes) and reinstalling it with a larger disk.
To increase the capacity of the data nodes in your Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes cluster, you can either add more data nodes to the desired tier, or increase the storage size of existing nodes.**Option 1: Add more data nodes**
1. Update the `count` field in your data node `nodeSets` to add more nodes:
```yaml
apiVersion: elasticsearch.k8s.elastic.co/v1
kind: Elasticsearch
metadata:
name: quickstart
spec:
version: 9.3.2
nodeSets:
- name: data-nodes
count: 5
config:
node.roles: ["data"]
volumeClaimTemplates:
- metadata:
name: elasticsearch-data
spec:
accessModes:
- ReadWriteOnce
resources:
requests:
storage: 100Gi
```
2. Apply the changes:
```sh
kubectl apply -f your-elasticsearch-manifest.yaml
```
ECK automatically creates the new nodes with a `data` [node role](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/deploy-manage/distributed-architecture/clusters-nodes-shards/node-roles) and Elasticsearch will relocate shards to balance the load.
You can monitor the progress using:
```json
```
**Option 2: Increase storage size of existing nodes**
1. If your storage class supports [volume expansion](https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/storage/persistent-volumes/#expanding-persistent-volumes-claims), you can increase the storage size in the `volumeClaimTemplates`:
```yaml
apiVersion: elasticsearch.k8s.elastic.co/v1
kind: Elasticsearch
metadata:
name: quickstart
spec:
version: 9.3.2
nodeSets:
- name: data-nodes
count: 3
config:
node.roles: ["data"]
volumeClaimTemplates:
- metadata:
name: elasticsearch-data
spec:
accessModes:
- ReadWriteOnce
resources:
requests:
storage: 200Gi
```
2. Apply the changes. If the volume driver supports `ExpandInUsePersistentVolumes`, the filesystem will be resized online without restarting Elasticsearch. Otherwise, you might need to manually delete the Pods after the resize so they can be recreated with the expanded filesystem.
For more information, refer to [Update your deployments](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/deploy-manage/deploy/cloud-on-k8s/update-deployments) and [Volume claim templates > Updating the volume claim settings](/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/deploy-manage/deploy/cloud-on-k8s/volume-claim-templates#k8s-volume-claim-templates-update).
AutoOps is a [monitoring](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/deploy-manage/monitor) tool that simplifies cluster management through performance recommendations, resource utilization visibility, and real-time issue detection with resolution paths. Learn more about [AutoOps](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/deploy-manage/monitor/autoops).