SOLVED 2023: Fix Scratch Disks Are Full Mac Error

People who typically use Photoshop and Final Cut Pro encounter the error scratch disks are full Mac. This error shows up in programs that use massive amounts of resources on your computer. It’s a problem that may show up every now and then.

If you find this error wherein scratch disks are full (Mac), then you are in luck. We will talk about the ways to clear out your scratch disks under the use of a top Mac cleaning software. We will talk about what scratch disks are. Finally, we will give you a tool you can use to make sure your macOS computer is freed up of space so it will perform faster and better.

Part #1: What Is A Scratch Disk?Part #2: How to Fix “Scratch Disks Are Full Mac” ErrorPart #3: Scratch Disks Are Full Mac: Frequently-Asked QuestionsSummary

Part #1: What Is A Scratch Disk?

Large applications like Photoshop, and Final Cut Pro use scratch disks as a particular virtual memory, especially when your RAM is not enough to implement a specific task. The application will place data in the virtual memory temporarily while it tries to finish the resource-heavy tasks. The temporary files are placed within the so-called scratch disks.

What Is the Error “Scratch Disks Are Full Mac”?

The major reason behind this error is the actual temporary files. That’s because when you quit these resource-heavy apps (e.g. Photoshop, Final Cut Pro), the temporary files aren’t deleted. The app will keep these temporary files because they think you need them at a later point in time.

Another reason why the error “Scratch disks are full Mac” appears is that the drive where it is located is full already. The error typically appears when your computer runs out of space. A limited amount of memory (RAM) to finish resource-intensive tasks can be another cause of the scratch disk error.

Part #2: How to Fix “Scratch Disks Are Full Mac” Error

To fix the error, it is necessary to clear up the scratch disks on your macOS computer. To do that, implement the following methods below.

Method #1: Free Up Storage Space

The best way to clean up your disk drive is to delete the junk files in it. This is where the tool TechyCub Mac Cleaner will come in handy. It has multiple applications that will let you remove junk files within your system.

Mac Cleaner Scan your Mac quickly and clean junk files easily. Check the primary status of your Mac including the disk usage, CPU status, memory usage, etc. Speed up your Mac with simple clicks. Free Download

The best way to make your computer faster and more effective is to utilize TechyCub Mac Cleaner, an optimization program for Mac designed to make sure you have enough storage space. With only a few short mouse clicks, you may use it to locate and delete undesired files from your computer.

The application also comes with a variety of useful tools you may use to clean up your macOS computer and make it operate faster and less clogged. TechyCub Mac Cleaner is the best solution for individuals looking for a quick way to optimize their Macs.

The following steps describe how to use TechyCub Mac Cleaner to solve “Scratch disks are full Mac”:

1. When you've downloaded the installer from the provider's website and are ready to install the software on your Mac, use this package.
2. As soon as TechyCub Mac Cleaner has been installed on your computer, run it.
3. On the left side, you'll find a lot of modules that you may use to optimize and clean up the speed of your macOS laptop. We'll use a general illustration, such as a Junk Cleaner.
4. Next, click the SCAN button. With the software, you may search for and remove any unnecessary system files.
5. Select the files that you want to delete from your computer. Selecting Select All will allow you to choose all of the supplemental information from the list that displays.
6. Then, select CLEAN from the list of choices.
7. Wait until the application shows the message "Cleaned Completed" to confirm that the process to clean up your macOS system is finished.

You should get TechyCub Mac Cleaner if you experience the following:

• Your Mac's hard drive is almost full if you see the notification "Your disk is almost full."
• Despite the fact that you can manually clean your Mac, this is not a time-efficient method.
• Although you are a beginner, you are having problems cleaning up your Mac on your own. You can learn how to handle the situation on your own.
• On your Mac, you should search for any duplicate files or similar photos.

Method #2: Clear Out Photoshop’s Scratch Disk

You have to clear the scratch disk within your Photoshop and other Adobe applications to remove the error from the system. This is similar to cleaning up Photoshop’s cache. To do that, follow the steps below:

1. Launch the Adobe Photoshop application on your macOS computer.
2. From its menu bar, click Edit.
3. After that, select Purge and then choose “All”.
4. A pop-up window will show up. Click the OK button.

After you have done the steps above, you will notice that the error will disappear. The cache on your Photoshop has been deleted already. Thus, you can do more resource-intensive tasks that will create more temporary files and save them on your scratch disks.

Method #3: Change Your Scratch Disk Location

Another thing you can do to “Scratch disks are full Mac” is to modify the location of your computer’s scratch disk. You can actually utilize an external drive that you can plug into your macOS computer. Here’s how to modify the scratch disk location using the Photoshop app:

1. Launch your Photoshop app on the Mac.
2. After that, click Photoshop within its menu bar.
3. Choose the option for Preferences.
4. Then, click Scratch Disk.
5. Plug in the external drive to your computer. After that, choose the scratch disk location you’d like to utilize.
6. Choose the OK button.
7. Close the Photoshop application and then open it back again if you’re going to use it.

Method #4: Backing Up Your Files

Defragmenting is available on Windows computers. However, it is typically not necessary within macOS computers. Actually, defragmenting your SSD within your macOS computer can do more harm than good. That’s because the newer macOS computers manage the storage of files in a different manner compared to that the old ones.

That’s why we don’t recommend that you defragment the hard disk on your macOS computer. So, what do you do in this case?

Well, you should back your files up to make sure you have enough space within your macOS computer. To do that, you can use iCloud. You can also use Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive. The point is, you’re going to save the files in another cloud storage platform so that you will have more space within your computer.

Method #5: Free Up Memory (RAM) Using Your Terminal

The Terminal is a handy tool that can help you implement a lot of tasks within your computer. It can be seen within the Applications folder of your Mac and within the Utilities subfolder. You typically run command lines with your Terminal to make it work.

The Terminal is not recommended for people without technical knowledge, because they can harm the macOS system. However, if you want to free up your RAM within your computer using the Terminal, you must follow the steps below:

1. Visit the Applications folder on your computer.
2. After that, click the Utilities folder.
3. Then, open the Terminal utility.
4. Type the following command and press Enter afterward: “sudo purge”.
5. Once that is done, input your macOS computer admin password.

Method #6: Resetting Your Photoshop Application

Did you try all the five methods above and they didn’t work? It must be necessary for you to reset the settings of Photoshop to its default preferences. It is important to note that resetting the settings on your Photoshop will also modify its color settings (and other types of settings) towards the default preferences of Photoshop. That’s why you may want to modify your settings again after the reset is implemented.

Here are the steps you should follow in order to reset the application for Photoshop on your macOS computer:

1. Launch the Photoshop application on your macOS computer.
2. After that, choose Preferences and then click General.
3. Press the option that says “Reset Preferences On Quit”.
4. After that, press OK to make sure the setting will be reset.
5. Once done, you can quit Photoshop to ensure that the settings will be reset.
6. Open Photoshop once again if you need to use it.

An alternative method of resetting the preferences on your Photoshop application includes the following steps below:

1. First, make sure the Photoshop application is closed on your computer.
2. Press the keys on your keyboard and hold this press: CMD + OPTION + SHIFT.
3. While pressing the said keys, open your Photoshop application by clicking its icon.
4. A dialog box will appear. It will ask you if you wish to remove the file that contains its current settings. Press the YES button.
5. After that, reopen your application called Photoshop if you need to use it.

Method #7: Upgrade Your Disk Drive

If you have an old macOS computer, you may want to upgrade the disk drive on it to deal with “Scratch disks are full Mac”. In this way, it can have the necessary storage space needed by the scratch disks. If your Mac is really old (from 2012 and earlier times), you may want to replace its hard disk drive with a solid-state drive (SSD). These are easier to replace compared to the newer SSDs.

If you cannot replace your hard disk drive or solid-state drive, you may want to purchase an external drive to be used as the scratch disk. Another thing you may do is to clean up the drive on your computer by using TechyCub Mac Cleaner.

If your disks can be upgraded, you must ensure that the drive you purchase is compatible with your macOS computer. In addition, you must contact Apple’s technical support team so you can let them handle the modification of your computer without damaging or voiding your warranty.

Part #3: Scratch Disks Are Full Mac: Frequently-Asked Questions

Question #1: My Drive Still Has A Lot Of Free Space in It. Why Do I Still Encounter the Error “Scratch Disks Are Full”?

Photoshop and other apps that use scratch disks may use different drives as temporary storage for these temporary files. In this case, there’s a big possibility that you’re checking out the drive where the scratch disk is NOT located.

As such, we do not recommend that you utilize your main disk drive as a location for your scratch disk. Typically, the main drive is the drive that contains your Mac operating system.

Another type of reason why your scratch disks are full is that the drive has minimal unfragmented space. The tools such as Photoshop require unfragmented space to properly execute their tasks. As such, some people will require you to defragment your disk drive to have more unfragmented space. The problem with this is that you may damage your computer. That’s why we do not recommend it. Use TechyCub Mac Cleaner instead.

Question #2: How Do You Avoid the “Scratch Disks Are Full” Error in Your macOS Computer?

The best way you can avoid this error is to keep your macOS computer clean. To do that, you can use TechyCub Mac Cleaner to help you remove unnecessary files within the system. Perform regular checkups and disk cleanup processes using the tool to help you remove junk files. You can also use other utilities within TechyCub Mac Cleaner to clear out other types of files and maintain your system.

Question #3: What Does It Mean for Adobe Applications (e.g. Photoshop) When Your “Scratch Disks Are Full”?

Typically, when “Scratch disks are full Mac” comes out, it means that there is not enough space where the scratch disk is located. In addition, you may also be running out of memory (RAM) to process resource-intensive tasks. The problem is really common among heavy users of Photoshop, other Adobe applications, and other resource-intensive apps.

That’s because these apps typically store a lot of temporary files within your computer’s scratch disks and don’t delete them even after the apps are closed. That’s why you must delete it manually to help you remove the error. Or, you can use TechyCub Mac Cleaner to help you get the job done.

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Summary

"Scratch disks are full Mac" is a common error message encountered when working with digital editing software or large-scale data processing. It indicates that the designated storage space allocated for temporary files, known as scratch disks, has reached its maximum capacity. This situation can arise when the software is processing complex tasks or handling large files, resulting in the accumulation of temporary data. Luckily, with TechyCub Mac Cleaner, it is no more a trouble.