Usually, these disks can get full over time when you keep opening large image preset files or when the disk cache on your Photoshop is full. Sometimes, stored auto-recovery files can also lead to this error. However, the most effective solution for solving the problem is by optimizing the Scratch disk space.
How to Fix Adobe Photoshop Scratch Disk Full Error?
Scratch Disk Full error message will pop-up when the disks are full and do not have further space to continue using Photoshop. Therefore, the major fixes for solving this problem is mostly by managing your Scratch Disk with minor tweaks in settings. Besides, you can also manage your device storage to free up some space required to run the application. Below, we have compiled the fixes for Windows and Mac.
Check and Optimize Device Storage
Photoshop recommends having at least 20 GB empty space on your device’s hard drive while using it. So, if your device does not meet the storage requirement, you will encounter Scratch disk full error. You can check your device storage from the settings and optimize them if necessary. You can delete unnecessary temporary files to free up some disk space. Here are the steps for it. On Windows On Mac
Empty Scratch Disk Drive Space
Since Photoshop uses your internal hard drive space, the drive which is set as Scratch disk might be full. Or, it might not meet the requirement of scratch disk space for using photoshop. In such a case, you can empty it to solve the issue. You can follow the given steps. On Windows On Mac
Add New Scratch Disk
If emptying the Scratch Disk still does not fix the issue, you might have to add a new drive with maximum space. You can set it from your photoshop Scratch Disk preferences. This should troubleshoot the error. Here are the steps on how to do it. On Windows On Mac
Turn Off Auto-recovery Saving
Another way to save space on Scratch disk is by turning off Auto-recovery saving. By disabling it, Photoshop will no longer save temporary files for backup. It should fix the disk’s full error. Check out the steps given below. On Windows On Mac
Clear Temporary Files
Usually, Photoshop creates temporary files as a backup for restoring the file during sudden app crashes. So, you can also free up your Scratch Disks by clearing them on your device. We recommend deleting all temporary files along with it. Before you begin, quit the photoshop application first. You can check out the steps given below. On Windows On Mac
Purge Memory
You will encounter a Photoshop Scratch Disk Full error when you do not refresh the RAM over time. Therefore, you can purge memory on Photoshop to free up space as well as enhance the performance. It should fix the error as it clears the disk cache and scratch space. You can follow the steps given below. On Windows On Mac
Reduce History States
The more history you save with a higher preset and pixels, the greater space it takes on the Scratch disk. Thus, you can solve the disk full error by reducing the history states value. Find out the steps for it below. On Windows On Mac
Limit Preset Usage
When you use a large set of presets on your Photoshop like Brush tips or patterns, it takes up a huge space in Scratch Disk. So, you need to limit the use of preset numbers in your file. This can help minimize storage space and solve the error.
Resize Image
When your image resolution is very high on Photoshop, it will use more storage space on your Scratch Disk. Therefore, you can resize the it to a lower resolution. You can hover over the top menu bar and click on Image. Choose Image Size and decrease the size.
Reset Photoshop Preferences
You might be getting “Scratch Disks are full” errors due to the corrupt preference files. Hence, as a last viable fix, you can restore Photoshop preferences to default settings. Then, you can reconfigure the settings initially. It should help resolve the error. On Windows On Mac
