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When you use Adobe Photoshop, you may have come across an error notification that tells you “Scratch disks are full” or “Could not complete your request because the scratch disk is full”.
This error is related to the memory space of your computer. We take a look at what causes this error and how to fix it.
What Causes Scratch Disk Errors?
The Scratch Disk in the error is the hard drive on your computer. Adobe Photoshop uses your primary drive as a temporary storage space, in case your system isn’t powerful enough to process the images you are working on.
If your computer only has one drive or uses only one partition, then this becomes your scratch disk.
When your hard drive is nearly full, then this can cause Photoshop to crash or not work properly.
In addition, each time Photoshop crashes it backs up your file on your hard drive, meaning it leaves big files temporarily on your drive filling it up quicker.
This means that Photoshop won’t open anymore, so you will need to find out how to remove these files from your hard drive and free up some space for Photoshop to work again.
How To Fix The Scratch Disk Is Full Error
Several methods may fix a full scratch disk error. It’s worth trying a few options, so you can be sure to have enough space on your hard drive.
This is not just good for Photoshop but any other programs that use up space on your computer.
Here are some of the main options to fix this Photoshop error message.
Step
Free Up Space On Your Hard Drive
One way to get rid of the problem is by freeing up some space in the Macor Windows drive.
This is the place defined as scratch disk in your Adobe Photoshop software. Alternatively, you can also use free cleanup tools, such as Disk Cleanup.
This tool allows you to clear unused files and folders from your hard drive. You can also delete old backup copies of your documents if they are taking up too much space.
Step
Clear Photoshop Cache
Another option is to clear the cache in Photoshop. This is where Photoshop stores all the information about your document, including layers, paths, etc.
To clear the Photoshop cache, click on Edit>Purge>All.
However, you should make sure that you saved all files before doing this, as you will not be able to revert any changes you made with purging.
Step
Delete Any Temporary Photoshop Files
Photoshop creates temporary backup files in case of a system crash. All these old files end up in your hard drive.
You should check your computer settings to see whether there is a setting to automatically clean up these files. If there is, then you can set it to run regularly.
Alternatively, you can also delete them by finding any Temp##### on Mac or ~PST####.tmpon files (on Windows).
Step
Clear Values Of Photoshop Crop Tool
If you receive the scratch disk message when you are cutting a picture in Adobe Photoshop, then it is likely that the unit values in the crop tool itself are wrong.
To fix this issue, go to the Options section and clear the values.
Step
Increase Your Hard Drive Size
Increase the size of your hard drive. This can be done by adding more storage space to your computer. You can do this by purchasing a brand new hard drive or by using an external USB hard drive.
Step
Defragment The Hard Drive
Sometimes you also get this Photoshop error when your hard drive still has space available.
However, Photoshop can only use unfragmented space which has not been assigned to other programs.
If you get the error when you have still space available, then you should try to run the defragmentation utility tool on your computer.
Conclusion
The scratch disk error occurs when there is no free space left on your hard drive for Photoshop to work properly.
We hope our different options for fixing this issue help.
