How to Clear Your Scratch Disk: Photoshop 101

Part of making the most of your digital programs is keeping them in peak operating condition. However, the various ways to do that aren’t always obvious, at least until you run into a problem and have to start researching what went wrong.

If you encounter the scratch disk error, you have a few options for clearing space and improving efficiency in Photoshop. Keep reading to learn how to clear a scratch disk in Photoshop.

What Is a Scratch Disk?

Design software needs a little extra workspace in addition to the RAM (random access memory). Much like you might use a piece of scratch paper for quick calculations, ideas for later or lists of steps, programs like Photoshop use hard drive space, called a scratch disk, as virtual or cached memory.

Photoshop uses a scratch disk for storing temporary tasks and files during editing projects. By default, it will use space on the hard drive on which the operating system was installed, though you have the option to assign several scratch disks for Photoshop’s use.

Why Is My Photoshop Scratch Disk Full?

Over time, scratch disks get cluttered with temporary files and Photoshop cache, especially if you frequently force quit the program. If you’re just learning to use Photoshop, you may not encounter the issue for a while, and life will be far easier when you understand why it happens.

Imagine if you had limited scratch paper on your desk, and occasionally had to erase old notes before finishing new tasks. It’s a similar process, and sometimes necessary to avoid error messages and inefficient operations. In extreme cases, you may not be able to open Photoshop at all because of full scratch disks.

5 Ways to Clear Your Photoshop Scratch Disk

Unfortunately, Photoshop will not automatically clear a scratch disk for you, and it won’t take steps to prevent the issue in the future. On the upside, you have several options for how to clean the scratch disk manually.

Before trying one or all of the solutions, consider backing up files or even cloning our hard drive to ensure no important items are lost.

1. Remove Temporary Photoshop Files

Temporary files can come in handy if your computer crashes, but usually they’re just accumulating, taking up space and slowing down your operations. If you can’t find a specific one, it might still be in use.

Before removing files, save your projects.
Exit Adobe.
Search for Photoshop’s temporary files (beginning with “pst” and including the extension “.tmp”).
Simply delete the files.

2. Delete Hidden Files

Sometimes, Photoshop files get buried in your folders but continue to take space on your scratch disk. These are a bit harder to find than other files, but it’s worth the effort to locate them.

Open your Finder app
Search for and locate your Photoshop folder.
Press Command + Shift + Period.
Find the grayed-out files, which is how you’ll know they’re hidden files.
Click on and drag hidden folders to your trash, then empty the trash.
Again, press Command + Shift + Period to get the files out of your Photoshop folder.

3. Change the Scratch Disk Location

If you have more than one hard drive, you can move the scratch disk to another one, including an external hard drive.

Open Photoshop.
Go into your Preferences.
Choose “Scratch Disks.”
Deselect the locations you no longer want as a scratch drive.
Select the locations you want to use as scratch drives instead.
Force-quit Photoshop and then restart it.

4. Clear Up Your Cache

Clearing your Photoshop cache is also called clearing the scratch disk itself. This will make more room for temporary files in the future. Be certain everything you need is saved before doing this, as you won’t have access to earlier versions of projects.

Open Photoshop.
Select “Edit” in the menu bar.
Select “Purge.”
Choose the files or cache you want deleted or select “All.”
Choose “OK” when you get the confirmation popup.

5. Increase Your Photoshop’s RAM Allowance

Photoshop will, by default, only use up to a certain amount of your RAM. If you can afford to let Photoshop use more of your device’s RAM, freeing some up may be your best option for solving scratch disk issues.

In your Photoshop menu, click “Preferences.”
Select “Performance.”
Within “Memory Usage” will be a slider for how much RAM Photoshop.
Adjust the slider to allow more RAM to go to Photoshop.
Keep an eye on how much RAM Photoshop uses to determine if you need to upgrade for more RAM.

How to Clear Your Scratch Disk Without Opening Photoshop

If your scratch disk is too full, you might not even be able to open Photoshop, making it impossible to clear the scratch disk through the program itself.

Fortunately, you can clear a scratch disk without opening Photoshop in just a few steps:

Try to open Photoshop.
While the program attempts to open, press Ctrl + Alt (on Windows) or Cmd + Options (on Mac) to open the scratch disk menu.
From there, add another drive or delete temporary files to free up space.

Another option is to find an app that allows you to clean up space without having to open Photoshop.

If you’d like to explore other design options, learn about Photoshop versus Adobe Fresco or Photoshop versus Procreate.

Boost Your Photoshop Skills

A full scratch disk can hinder your Photoshop projects and significantly slow down operations. Knowing how to clear up space on a Photoshop scratch disk will help you get the most out of the program as you edit photos and videos.

Remember that the best way to keep your design tools, like Photoshop, in optimal condition is to regularly clean scratch disks and manage routine updates. This will ensure they’re working as they should on your personal and professional projects.

Skillshare offers the best classes for beginners and seasoned professionals alike when it comes to building and enhancing Photoshop knowledge. Learn about the basics, advanced features, using smart objects in Photoshop and so much more!

Katie Mitchell

Katie lives in Michigan with her husband, kids and pets. She enjoys cooking, travel and live music.