Participant

Question

Initiializing Elements

Forum|Forum|9 months ago
May 1, 2025
4 replies
555 views

Hi,

When I try to load a file to edit from the Organizer I get the message: "Cannot initialize elements because the disk is full".

When I search for help on the topic it tells me that I need at least 3GB of storage to load the software.

Currently, my C drive is showing 128MB free. I have gone through to see what temporary files can be deleted.

What else can I do to clear room?

Greg_S.

Community Expert

If you go to Edit>Preferences in Premiere Elements, there are various settings that affect temporary/cache files. The default location is the C drive but you can change it to wherever you want. You can also manually clear the cache from the dialog.

You might also change the Scratch disk location from the C drive to another disk.

Greg_S.

Community Expert

I'm not sure which temporary files you are talking about, but there is really no way to manage them through the program.

Greg_S.

Community Expert

You can move your catalog folder to your D drive. Depending on the size of your catalog, that can free up several GB.

The default location of the catalog folder is:

C:\ProgramData\Adobe\Elements Organizer\Catalogs

After you have moved the catalog folder (default name is My Catalog), double-click the file named catalog.pseXXdb within the folder and the catalog will open from its new location. The file name will contain the version number of Elements that you are using instead of the XX in my example.

You can also empty your recycle bin. Elements frequently fills it up with files.
Go to File Explorer, right-click on your C drive and select Properties from the context menu. Click on the Details button and you will get some suggestions for cleaning up your drive:

There are many free utilities that show you large files and folders that are taking up space. I use TreeSize free which you can download from the Microsoft Store.

TribefanAuthor

Participant

Thanks for your response. I reached out for some professional help on this. My source said that Elements was storing some temporary files in a folder that could not be seen. He cleared the temporary files and created a utility that I can click on to prevent further buildup. My question is this: Is there someplace in the management of the program where I could have done this myself?

Glenn 8675309

Legend

Temp files (like the scratch disc) are cleared out automatically when you close the program. There is zero reason to concern yourself with maually clearing out temp files the program uses- that's why they are called temp files.

By manually deleting things simply because someone said "these things are taking up space" seems a bit foolish to me. Virtually all Adobe products create temp files as neede, and they get deleted when they are done.

Temp files call also reside as incomplete downloads.

Adobe's temporary files, including those for Acrobat, are typically located in the C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe directory and its subfolders, such as Acrobat\DC\AutoSave. Specific subfolders within Acrobat might contain temporary files related to updates or autosaves, often with the extension .tmp.

I just checked my computer in that location: I have close to 60GB of adobe temp files- I have quite a bit of adobe products installed- I would dream of touching, moving, or deleting anything in that directory--- I literally look at it, and think "yeah, whatevers" and leave it alone.

A

ABWay

Inspiring

What is the size of your C: drive? Were you to have only 0.128GB (128MB) free, your C: drive would be essentially full and virtually unusable, so re-check that.

Is Photoshop Elements already installed?

How much memory do your photo files occupy?

Is your operating system Windows?

TribefanAuthor

Participant

Dear ABWay,

I believe when you ask how much memory do my photo files occupy you are really asking about hard disk capacity.

I re-checked my C: drive. I currently have 1.08 GB free space. Both Elements and Premiere Elements are installed here.

My 😧 drive has 1.03 TB of free disk space. This is where my photos and videos reside.

I am operating on a Windows 11 machine.

I keep my apps on my C drive. It appears to me that Windows has been updating in the background and eating up hard disk capacity.

My dilemma is in knowing which apps frim MST or HP that I can remove or re-locate without affecting the performance of my machine.

Glenn 8675309

Legend

I bought some disk imaging software that lets you transfer programs, any number of programs can do it. I bought to clone SSD's, but it also can move programs from one drive to another, flawlessly. You just can't move program files on your own - there are alot of background processes and registry entries that you also need to move to make it work.

Windows (at least in win10) has a move feature.

To easily transfer programs to another drive in Windows, you can use the "Move" option within the "Apps & Features" section of Windows Settings. This allows you to select the program and choose a new drive for its installation files. Alternatively, you can use a specialized software like AOMEI Partition Assistant to move programs that don't have the built-in "Move" option. I do believe in will only work with windows programs purchased or rdownloaded thru the microsoft store. FOR EXAMPLE: The main x box program you can move, any silly racing game you got from the microsoft store, anything ADOBE you cannot move, unless you pruchased it thru the microsoft store.

Here's a step-by-step guide using the "Move" option: Most programs will not have move option.

Open Settings: Press the Windows key + I to open Windows Settings.
Navigate to Apps: Click on "Apps" and then "Apps & features".
Select the Program: Find the program you want to move and select it.
Choose Move: Click the "Move" button.
Select the Destination Drive: Choose the drive you want to move the program to (e.g., D:).
Confirm and Wait: Click "Move" again to confirm and wait for the process to complete.

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