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Scratch disks are useful on Macs as apps can use them as virtual memory. Apps like Photoshop are notorious for requiring a lot of RAM, and when such apps don’t have enough memory to complete tasks, they can use scratch disks as a substitute for physical RAM. This helps apps like Photoshop handle complex tasks more easily.

Delete the Photoshop temporary files in Finder

Photoshop creates temporary files as backup, and these end up staying on your system even after force quit or closing Photoshop. To delete temporary files via the Finder, do the following:

– Exit the Adobe apps
– Open your Finder, and then choose Go To Folder / Command+Shift+G
– Type in TMP and press Enter
– Find folders called “Photoshop Temp” followed by a number
– Open the folders, delete any files that have the TMP extension
– Empty the Mac’s trash to permanently them and free up space

Use a keyboard shortcut on launch

Sometimes, it’s not possible to open Photoshop due to the scratch disk error appearing at app launch. You can use a keyboard shortcut at launch to circumvent this problem.

– Start Photoshop, and immediately press Command+Option
– A Scratch Disk Preference dialogue box appears
– Select an alternative drive for Photoshop, and restart Photoshop

Use the Terminal

There’s also the option to free up RAM using the Terminal.

– Open the Terminal
– Type “sudo purge”, press Enter
– Enter your admin password

Delete system junk

Another approach to clear the disk space is to remove system junk. Sometimes issues stem from Photoshop temp files, but can also be caused by a lack of space on your Mac’s drive in general. Use a Mac cleanup tool to remove junk files and temporary content.

Manually delete large files, like older Photoshop projects, movies and so on. Empty the contents of the Downloads or Trash folder, as these can take a lot of space.

Unhide (and delete) hidden Photoshop files

Photoshop leaves hidden folders and files that can’t be found via a regular Finder search. To unhide these files:

– Exit the Adobe apps, and via the Finder, go to the Photoshop installation folder
– Press Command+Shift+Period to show hidden files
– Browse the grayed-out folders/files to see which ones to delete. Often, they pertain to older projects
– Drag them to the Trash and then empty it
– Press Command+Shift+Period again to re-hide files

If you’re using multiple Adobe apps, their caches too could contribute to disk use. Start clearing the app caches by entering Finder, navigate to ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common. Here, the Media Cache and Media Cache Files folders’ contents can be dragged to the Trash.

Use an external SSD as a dedicated scratch disk

A long-term solution to the problem is to use an external disk as a dedicated scratch disk. This allows the offload of data processing away from the main drive, giving better Photoshop stability and performance. Connect the external SSD to the Mac, enter Photoshop/Settings/Scratch Disk and then select the external SSD as your primary/secondary scratch disk. Finally, restart Photoshop.