Is It Safe to Delete Photoshop Temp Files? How to Delete Photoshop Temp Files on Windows and Mac

If your hard drive gets full because of Photoshop temp files, you must learn about this page. You can know Photoshop temp files location and whether it is safe to delete Photoshop temp files on Windows 10 or Mac. Then, you can delete Photoshop temp files with ease.

The main content of this article is what are Photoshop temporary files, Photoshop temporary files locations, how to delete Photoshop temporary files, and more. 

User case: How do I delete Photoshop temporary files or cache?

"How do I delete Photoshop cache or temporary files? Photoshop is filling up my C drive. I've changes the cache folder to another drive but I have to deal with the issue now before the other drive is filled up too. Thank you." - A user question on Adobe Support Community

What Are Photoshop Temp Files

Photoshop takes up much space on your hard drive. It processes a large amount of data at once, so it generates a large number of temporary files when working on large projects. Photoshop saves the data collected from your work to a local "scratch" file. The Scratch file size is based on recent usage and often goes up in the GB range.

These files serve two purposes: they allow Photoshop to run without relying entirely on memory, and they create backup files in case the program or your computer crashes precipitously. These files should be automatically deleted when you close Photoshop.

Photoshop temp files can be huge and if Photoshop does not close correctly, the files can be left on your drive taking much space. If you are faced with this Photoshop temp files-related error, you can read on to solve your problem. 

Photoshop Temp Files Location on Mac and Windows

Photoshop temporary files are located in the Windows or Mac's default temp folder. If you don't know its location, follow the instructions below to access the Photoshop temp files on your computer

On Windows:

Go to C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\Temp. To access that, you can type %LocalAppData%\Temp in the Search box and look for "Photoshop Temp" from search results.

On Mac:

If you are a Mac user, you can find Photoshop temp files in this way:

• Go to "Applications > Go > Utility > Terminal".
• Input open /tmp to open the temp folder.

Wait for a while, and the Mac temp folder will be opened. Then, you can find the Photoshop temp files and delete them.

How to Delete Photoshop Temp Files Safely 

Here are the workable steps to delete Photoshop temp files on Windows 10 on Mac. 

Step 1. Check If Your Work Is Saved

Photoshop always creates temp work files in user temp space when you open a smart object. These temp files are not deleted till you close the document with the smart object layer out of Photoshop.

Thus, you must make sure all your work is saved for deleting temp files without saving your work might damage the PSD files.

Step 2. Close Adobe or Photoshop Related Programs

Close all Adobe Photoshop-related programs like Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Lightroom that might conflict while deleting the temp files. Once it is done, access the Photoshop temp files location and delete Photoshop temp files.

Step 3. Navigate to the Temp folder to Delete Photoshop Temp Files

Find the Photoshop temp files location and delete them on Windows or Mac.

Delete Photoshop temp files on Mac:

In the terminal window, type a command open /tmp. Choose the files you want to delete, then click on "Move to Bin" to delete Photoshop temp files Mac.

Delete Photoshop temp files on Windows 10:

Go to C:\Users\Your Username\AppData\Local\Temp. Open the temp folder and right-click on the files you want to delete and click "Delete".

When you're done, empty the Recycle Bin or Trash folder to reclaim your storage space, and then check to see how much space you've saved.

How to Recover Accidentally Deleted Photoshop Files or Temp Files

What if you want to restore accidentally deleted Photoshop files or the temp files by using Shift+Delete or emptying the recycle bin? Don't fret. You can turn to EaseUS data recovery software. This file recovery software makes PSD file recovery, document recovery, and photo recovery easy.

Follow the steps below to recover deleted Photoshop files on Windows 10/8.1/8/7.

Step 1. Choose the exact file location and then click the "Scan" button to continue.

Step 2. After the process, you can apply the "Filter" feature or click the "Search files or folders" button to find the deleted files.

Step 3. Click the "Recover" button and save the restored files – ideally, it should be different from the original one.

Bonus Tip: How to Move Photoshop from C Drive to Another Drive Without Reinstalling

Photoshop is installed on drive C by default. However, Photoshop will occupy a large amount of space on the system disk, which will cause low disk space, affecting the normal operation of the system and computer. To free up space, you can use a PC data transfer tool  - EaseUS Todo PCTrans to move Adobe Photoshop CC 2017 and Adobe Photoshop CC 2019 from one drive to another. 

EaseUS Todo PCTrans can move unlimited applications and files into a new drive or PC with simple clicks.

Step 1. Run EaseUS Todo PCTrans on your PC

Go to "App Migration" and click "Start" to continue.

Step 2. Select programs to move from C drive to another drive

1. Tick the C drive and select programs (marked as "Yes") that you want to transfer.

2. Click the triangle icon to select another drive on your computer as the destination, and click "Transfer" to start the process.

Step 3. Finish the transferring

Wait patiently until the transferring process finishes and click "OK" to confirm. 

When it has done, you can restart PC if necessary. This will keep all changes on your PC and then you can run and programs from another hard drive without reinstallation.

Conclusion

Photoshop temp files on your PC or laptop tend to occupy a large amount of space. Hence, it is suggested to clear the PS temp files from time to time. If you have difficulty deleting temp files, you can always read this article to get help.