How to Clear Scratch Disk PhotoShop on Windows/Mac

If you have been using Photoshop for a while, you surely have encountered the scratch disk error, which is the most frustrating thing. We will discuss what it is, how it functions, and how to resolve a number of problems that you can encounter while editing in this post.

Fortunately, clearing the scratch disk PhotoShop is simple. You may easily have the drive deleted and free up important storage space by following a few straightforward procedures. This tutorial will show you how to clear scratch disk PhotoShop in Windows 10 and macOS.

My Scratch Disks of PhotoShop Are Full...

Clear away objects that consume extra disk space, such as your Photoshop cache and temporary files, if your scratch disks for Photoshop are full. You can upgrade to a bigger hard drive or more RAM storage to make additional room for your scratch drive.

Programs like Photoshop use a scratch drive as temporary memory to store and access project files while the program is open. Photoshop won't function properly if your scratch drive is full, and your Windows PC or Mac may experience other problems as a result.

Below are a few reasons that are possible:

• 🔹The scratch disk location on the drive is too small.
• 🏠The Photoshop-allocated space on the drive is full.

How do you recover your data if you clear some of your vital photos or files in the PhotoShop disk?  Try to use specialized data recovery software and scan the same drive where you previously saved the data. This is especially important if you had previously saved photographs on a PC but accidentally deleted them. All you have to do to recover deleted files in 3 steps is download EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Pro.

Step 1. Run EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard on your computer. Choose the drive where you lost files and click "Scan". If your lost files were on an external storage device, connect it to your computer firstly.

Step 2. The software will quickly scan the deleted files immediately, and then automatically perform a deep scan to find more lost files. After the scan is completed, you can use "Filter" to quickly filter specific file types.

Step 3. Click the "Preview" button or double-click on a file for a full preview. Finally, select the desired files, click "Recover" and choose another safe location to save all the files at once.

Let us learn 2 different ways and clear scratch disk PhotoShop on Windows and Mac. Before that, don't forget to mark this passage by sharing it on Facebook, Twitter, or SNS.

How to Clear Scratch Disk Photoshop on Windows 10

In Photoshop, it's crucial to regularly clear the scratch disk, especially if you frequently work with huge files or have a lot of Windows active. Photoshop stores temporary data on the scratch disk, which can cause your computer to run slowly or even crash if it fills up. 

You can use the steps below to find the scratch disk:

Step 1. Open the "Edit" tab in Photoshop.

Step 2. At the bottom of the list, choose "Preferences".

Step 3. Choose "Scratch Disks" from the side menu now.

Step 4. A list of drives with checkmarks next to them may be found here. Photoshop uses any device with a checkbox next to it as a scratch disk.

Step 5. Check the box next to the drive you wish to use to create a new scratch disk.

The burden on the boot drive will then be reduced as a result of Photoshop allocating data to additional locations.

You must locate and manually remove the files from the scratch disk if you wish to erase the prior data from it completely.

• You can find Photoshop's temporary files in the following location if it is utilizing your boot drive: C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\Temp
• Once there, look for the file with the name Photoshop Temp and a series of numbers. Photoshop's temporary information used during startup is stored in this file.
• To remove it, delete this file.

Ensure you have everything backed up in advance because removing the temporary files can also erase any progress you have made on projects that you haven't saved.

How to Clear Scratch Disk Photoshop on Mac

Photoshop's own temporary files are frequently the biggest waste of space on your scratch disk. Therefore, why save temporary files? You might be able to forget about the scratch disk full error warning if you delete these files. It should be noted that this is only necessary if you can't erase Photoshop's cache files. 

Make sure to save your work and shut down Photoshop before deleting temporary files. You're now prepared to continue. 

To locate Photoshop's temporary files:

• Click "Go" from the menu bar in Finder. 
• Select "Go" to Folder from here. 
• In the field, enter the /tmp.

A new folder window containing Photoshop files and folders will be opened as a result. Now that you have a list, carefully go through each folder and remove any files that are using up Photoshop scratch drive space. Make careful you only choose files with the .tmp extension, which is temporary.

Conclusion

Finally, you can carry out a variety of tasks to free up enough space for Photoshop. Photoshop's preference files can occasionally become corrupt, which can have an impact on how scratch disks are handled. The "scratch disks are full" problem can be fixed by resetting the preferences and then changing the scratch disk options.

How to Clear Scratch Disk PhotoShop FAQs

If you still have some questions, check the quick answers below to help yourself out:

1. How to clear Photoshop scratch disk without opening Photoshop?

How can Photoshop scratch disk be cleared without Photoshop being opened?
By going to the Applications folder and looking for "Photoshop" in the list of processes in Activity Monitor, you can end some programs or remove some files, empty the scratch disk without opening Photoshop, or reset your settings by deleting the file called "Adobe Photoshop Settings." 

2. Is it okay to clear scratch disks Photoshop?

It is important to only remove the scratch disk when you are certain that you won't need it any longer because doing so can be time-consuming. In conclusion, it is okay to delete the scratch disk in Photoshop, but only when you are done with it because it can be time-consuming to reconstruct.

3. How do I clear my scratch disk?

• Select Window > Empty Recycle Bin.
• Press Edit > Empty Recycle Bin.
• Selecting Window > Preferences > General > Remove Files Before Photoshop Shuts Down.
• To save a file to your hard drive, select File > Save As.