Solving "Scratch Disk Full" Error in Photoshop

Forum|Forum|9 months ago
May 13, 2025
3 replies
3411 views

Hey Photoshop users! Have you encountered the dreaded “Scratch Disk Full” error? It can seriously slow down or even crash your workflow. I’ve compiled a few tips to fix it:

✅ Free Up Space – Delete unnecessary files to clear storage.

✅ Change Scratch Disk Location – Go to Edit > Preferences > Scratch Disks and select a drive with more space.

✅ Clear Cache Files – Use Edit > Purge > All to remove temporary data.

✅ Limit History States – Reducing undo steps in Preferences > Performance can free up memory.

✅ Upgrade to SSD – If possible, an SSD dramatically speeds up scratch disk usage.

Have you found other solutions that work for you? Drop your thoughts below!

Correct answer Ged_Traynor

@SmartTech the above looks like it was just copied and pasted from somewhere

S

sprout_shadow@yahoo.com

Participant

What do you do when you can't get to edit>preferences, etc? I can't open PSE

Ged_Traynor

Community Expert

@sprout_shadow@yahoo.com try the Photoshop Elements forum

J

jasmine_alexandra_8736

Participant

I also have the same issue. I'm trying to change the scratch disk location in Photoshop from Macintosh HD to my external SSD, but the option is LOCKED and won't let me UNCHECK the Macintosh HD drive. How can I unlock this option and set my external SSD as the new scratch disk location?

Please there must be something I can do. I just can't seem to change it. I was able to do that with Illustrator and the PremierPro, but I can't seem to do it with PSD.