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Simon301454337j9z
Participant
November 18, 2023
Answered

Scratch Disk issue, Photoshop is filling all space in my harddrive via System Dat a

  • November 18, 2023
  • 2 replies
  • 2570 views

 

I've been encountering a persistent Scratch Disk issue in Photoshop despite following the recommended troubleshooting steps. My Mac is running on macOS Sonoma, and even with over 300GB of free space on my hard drive, the Scratch Disk error persists. Upon checking my storage usage while Photoshop is open, I noticed that System Data is consuming an unusually large amount of space, reaching up to 300GB. I couldn't find any effective method to clear this System Data, so I opted for a complete reinstall of my Mac.

 

After the fresh installation, everything is running on the latest versions, including Photoshop. However, the Scratch Disk issue remains. When Photoshop is closed, I have around 900GB of free space and System Data occupies only 18GB. But as soon as I open Photoshop, the free space plummets to almost zero, and System Data balloons to 860GB again (screenshots attached).

 

I'm at a loss as to what's causing this sudden surge in System Data usage and how to rectify the Scratch Disk problem. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

    Correct answer Ged_Traynor

    @D Fosse looks like you hit the nail on the head

    2 replies

    D Fosse
    Community Expert
    D FosseCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 18, 2023

    It sounds like you're trying to open an enormous file by mistake. Anything bigger than, say, 15 000 pixels long side is probably a mistake.

      Trevor.Dennis
      Community Expert
      Trevor.DennisCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      November 18, 2023

      That thing when, 'I could have sworn image size was in pixels, but it turned out to be inches and at 300ppi the document somehow managed to be a zillion pixels square'.

        Shangara Singh
        Shangara Singh
        Inspiring
        November 19, 2023

        Oh, 30,0000x30,0000px files. Well...Upside is I discovered 15GB of recovered files while searching for larg files.

         

        I'd forgotten how to do it in Finder, so found the files while poking in Storage and clicking on the (i) icons.

         

        Why Apple hide options when searching until you instigate a search is a mystery, and another forum. 

        Shangara SINGH.
        Shangara Singh
        Shangara Singh
        Inspiring
        November 18, 2023

        Sounds like a Photoshop bug when running in Sonoma. Been avoiding updating to it since it came out, so cannot help.

         

        That said, scratch disk data and recovery data is usually cleared when you close Photoshop, so no need to reinstall OS (yeah!). There are utilities for cleaning up data. I thought there was one in macOS but cannot find it.

         

        I partitioned my main drive so data is kept separate from "stuff" and use the "stuff" partition as a first scratch disk, and macOS HD as third, though that wouldn't help you.

         

        SSDs are very cheap, consider adding one. I added one to store all my photo files, and use it as a second scratch disk. It's mounted at start up, so always accessible. 

        Shangara SINGH.
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