[Fixed] Scratch Disks Are Full Error

Millions of users have reported that they encounter scratch disks are full error messages while using Adobe Photoshop. Mostly, it is a common problem on both Windows and Mac.

Due to several factors, you can notice this error message on the display. For instance, the lack of enough space, and too many temporary files. In case, the Auto Recovery Saving feature is enabled, then it is also a valid reason for this error message to trigger up.  

Fortunately, you can easily get rid of it with some proven techniques. 

 Easy Ways to Fix Scratch Disks are Full Photoshop Issue:

Check out the accurate resolving techniques in order to remove the ‘could not initialize Photoshop because the scratch disks are full’ error message from your device.

Solution 1- Free Up Enough Disk Space

First, open Adobe Photoshop and after that navigate to Edit (Windows). From there, go to Preference and next double-click on the Performance button.

Then, you will see which partition is the scratch disk. Now, ensure that at least 40 GB of space is available there. But if the required space is not available, then you might need to move some parts of the unused files to another drive.

Next, reopen Photoshop and check whether the error message still appears on the display or not.

Unfortunately, if you are still dealing with the problem, simply press the Ctrl, and Delt keys simultaneously to open the Preference window.  After that, locate which hard drive is the scratch disk and furthermore free some spaces. 

In case you are using a Mac device, then press and hold the Command and Option keys to open the Scratch Disk Preference Window and free up the required space. 

Solution 2- Delete the Temp Files

Follow the given instructions in order to perform this task on the Windows device.

  1. First, press and hold down the Windows and R keys together to open the Run dialog box. After that, hit the Enter key.
  2. Enter, ‘appdata’ in the run box and hit the Enter key.
  3. Move to the ‘Local Files‘ and from there click on the Temp option. Then, you will find the file name PST or Photoshop Temp.
  4. Next, hold down the Ctrl key and select all the temp files. Afterward, hit the Delete key to remove all.

Then, reboot your machine and check the error status.

If you run Photoshop on Mac, then enter ‘pst or photoshop’ in the Search box and delete all the files while appearing on the screen. Wait for some time as this is a lengthy procedure.

Solution 3- Change the Scratch Disk Location

Change the Scratch Disk Location

This is another effective solution that you might apply in order to fix the error essentially. 

Now, if you are a Windows user, then first, open Photoshop. After that, proceed to the Edit. From there go to the Preference tab. In the Preference tab, drop down and select the Performance option.

On the next page, move to the First option and choose another hard drive near it and then click on it. 

Now, once you restart Photoshop this will automatically set a new hard drive.

If you are a Mac user, then launch Photoshop. Next, navigate to the Preference, and here from the left column, choose the Scratch Disks option.

On the next window, unmark a hard drive that you don’t want to set as a scratch disk. Then, click on OK. Finally, reboot your machine and if the issue still persists, then try the next solution.

Solution 4- Allow the Photoshop for More RAM Memory Usage

RAM memory is necessary to store Photoshop files. So, you have to use more RAM memory. For that, open Photoshop. Then, move to Edit and select the Preference tab. After that, click on the Performance option.

Under the Preference window, adjust the Memory Usage for increasing the RAM memory. 

After increasing the RAM usage, restart Photoshop to check if the error message ‘scratch disks are full’ has been removed from the system or not.

Mac users first open Photoshop. Now, move to Preference. Then, select the Scratch Disk option. Furthermore, adjust the RAM memory space. 

Solution 5- Disable the Auto-Recovery Saving Feature

Disable the Auto-Recovery Saving Feature

After disabling this feature, you can overcome the situation easily. To implement the solution first, launch Photoshop. Furthermore, move to the Edit (Windows) or Photoshop (Mac) option.

After that, proceed to the Preference and then click on the File Handling button. Next, unmark the box present next to the ‘Automatically Save Recovery Information Every [N Minutes] option.

Furthermore, click on OK to save the changes. Now, the Photoshop temp file size will be reduced.  Hope this solution should fix the problem.

That’s it. These are the solutions that you might apply to fix the error within very less time.

Maria Colombo
Maria Colombo
Articles: 1190