How to fix ‘Photoshop Scratch Disk Full Mac’ Error [100% Solved]

If you are facing problems with the ‘photoshop scratch disk full Mac’ error, then check out the thorough guide on ways to fix this problem. 

Mac devices are, no doubt, incredible. But, they are also not immune to various hardware and software issues. The majority of these problems are caused by inefficient memory management on Mac. Whenever you run any software, Mac creates temporary files and cache in the background, and this hogs the device’s memory at a later date. When such junk gets accumulated, you begin to face a plethora of device performance issues. One of these problems is Photoshop shows the scratch disk is full on Mac.

If you are also facing a similar issue, then now you can put all your worries aside. We are here with how to clear your scratch disk and Photoshop cache on Mac to resolve this problem.

But, before moving on to that, it is apt to discuss what a scratch disk means in the first place. Also, the reasons for which you get the “Scratch Disk are Full” error on Mac.

What is a scratch disk?

In simple terms, the scratch disk is a memory space used as virtual memory by applications such as Photoshop that require more workspace.

Below are some reasons for which you get the “Scratch Disk is full” error.

What are the reasons for the “photoshop scratch disk full Mac” error

Here are some prominent reasons for which Photoshop shows scratch disks are full on Mac.

• Accumulation of temporary files.
• Non-availability of space at the scratch disk’s location.
• The disk partition that Photoshop uses is full.
• RAM allocated for Photoshop is not enough.

Now that you know what a scratch disk is why Mac shows that it is full when you use Photoshop, let’s walk you through the methods to fix this error.

What to do when Photoshop shows scratch disk are full-on Mac (100% working fixes)

Below are the quick and simple fixes that you can try your hands at when Photoshop shows scratch disks are full on Mac.

1. Clear Photoshop Cache

Accumulation of cache is also one of the central reasons for which Photoshop shows the scratch disk is full on Mac. Below is how to clear it and fix the issue.

• Open Photoshop and choose “Edit” from the menu bar.
• Hover the mouse over “Purge” until you get four other options.
• Choose whether you want to delete histories, clipboards, video cache, or all of them. Tap on “All” if you want to clear every type of cache on Photoshop.

Hopefully, now Photoshop won’t show that scratch disk is full-on Mac. If it still does, then move to the other solutions shared here.

Also Read: Is Your MacBook Pro Overheating? Here’re the Fixes & Tips to Cool it Down

2. Scrape away Photoshop temp files from Mac

As said earlier, temp files are also among the topmost reasons for which Photoshop shows scratch disks are full on Mac. Thus, below are the steps to remove them.

• Find out the files with the “pst” extension.
• After locating the “pst” files, look for strings with the “.tmp” extension.
• Search for “Photoshop Temp” and scan the hard drive.
• Once the list of temporary files comes up on the screen, carefully delete each of these files.

If this also does not work to solve photoshop scratch disk are full-on Mac problems, then move on to the next solution.

3. Clear and optimize the disk space

To answer the how to clear scratch disk on Mac question. Another fix to try when Photoshop shows scratch disks are full on Mac is to clear and optimize the disk space. Below is how to do it.

• Go to the Apple Menu and click on “About this Mac”.
• Move to the Storage tab.
• On the next screen, tap on the “Manage” button to clear and optimize the disk space on Mac.

Hopefully, this resolves the issue. But, if the problem remains unresolved, then we’ve got a few more solutions.

4. Change the scratch disk

Sometimes, you are left with no other option than to change the scratch disk to resolve the issues. Thus, below is how to do it with ease.

• Open Photoshop and select “Preferences” from the menu that appears.
• Choose “Scratch Disk”.
• Checkmark the box to add or remove a scratch disk drive.

• Click on OK and then restart the application.

If you still face the issue, then below is the last but not least solution to fix the problem.

Also Read: Top 7 Duplicate File Finders for Mac to Delete Duplicate Files

5. Clean RAM in terminal

Lack of RAM is also a major cause of Photoshop showing scratch disks are full on Mac. Thus, below are the steps to free up RAM space on Mac.

• Open Terminal via Launchpad.
• Paste “sudo purge”.
• Enter the password.

Once you complete the above steps, Photoshop no longer shows scratch disk full-on Mac.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Photoshop Scratch Disk Full [Fixed]

Q.1 Why is my scratch disk full Mac?

As explained earlier, scratch disk fills due to a collection of some temporary files on the Mac, insufficiency of RAM or disk partition for photoshop, unavailability of space at photoshop source location, and other reasons. You can easily solve the photoshop scratch disk full on Mac problem with the help of the above-listed methods.

Q.2 How do I empty the scratch disk in Photoshop Mac?

With the help of methods number 1 and 3 explained above, you can easily empty the scratch disk in Photoshop Mac and solve all the problems faced.

Q.3 How do you fix a scratch disk full in Photoshop Mac?

The above-stated steps and methods mainly focus on listing ways through which you can fix a scratch disk full in Photoshop Mac problems quickly. We recommend that you take the help of the methods one by one until one works out for you. These are the best solutions for photoshop scratch disk full problems.

Final Words: How to Solve Scratch Disk Full in Photoshop

Above were some fixes that you can try when Photoshop shows scratch disk full-on Mac. Hopefully, the issue is now resolved. Do let us know in the comment box below whether this post helped you or not. Also, don’t forget to subscribe and bookmark Innovana Blog for more such tech solutions and updates.