My macbook start up disk is full and i have to delete files to make room for updates. how do you make room on start up disk?

how do you delete files from start up disk on my mac book?

Freeing Up Space on The Hard Drive
1. See Lion's Storage Display.
2. You can remove data from your Home folder except for the /Home/Library/ folder.
3. Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on freeing up space on your hard drive.
4. Also see Freeing space on your Mac OS X startup disk.
5. See Where did my Disk Space go?
6. See The Storage Display.
You must Empty the Trash in order to recover the space they occupied on the hard drive.
You should consider replacing the drive with a larger one. Check out OWC for drives, tutorials, and toolkits.
Try using OmniDiskSweeper 1.8 or GrandPerspective to search your drive for large files and where they are located.
Please read my user tip to learn all about "Other:" What is "Other" and What Can I Do About It?- Apple Support Communities.

Similar Messages

I got a message saying that my startup disk is full and I need to delete files. What files and where can I find them?

I got a message saying that my startup disk is full and I need to delete files. I don't know where to fined the files I need to delete and don't understand how my disk can be full. Can someone help me with this?

To see how much disk space is available ...
Click your Apple menu  top left in your screen. From the drop down menu click About This Mac > More Info > Storage
Make sure there's at least 15% free disk space.
Photos, video, documents, etc. all require disk space.
OSX Tips Where did my Disk Space go?
5 Quick Tips to Free Up Disk Space in Mac OS X
Freeing Up Hard Disk Space - Mac Guides
Never remove any Apple pre installed apps or system files.

When I turn on MacBook Pro it telling me that my start up disk is full and I need to delete files. How do I get to start up disc?

When I search a file called start up disc, nothing shows up. How do I delete files so when my computer starts up, I no longer get a message stating that my start up disc is full and that I need to delete some files?

There is a boot drive inside the computer and it's storage space is filled up.
You need to create a external storage drive and transfer some of your files off the internal boot drive.
TimeMachine doesn't work for this as it's just a rotating backup image of what's on your boot drive, it's not a storage drive for more space and to save things permanently.
So what you need to do is get three external drives from the office or computer store.
I suggest 3-4 separate drives at 1TB each (or more capacity if you really got a lot of stuff), USB 2 is currently fine, the newer USB 3's are more expensive but your Mac doesn't have USB 3 ports, so get the less expensive USB 2 drives and save some money. If you can get Firewire 800/USB combination drives, those would be a better choice as Firewire 800 is the fastest for most Mac's. Only the very new ones have Thunderbolt and the new drives for that are rare and expensive.
Make sure they are self powered drives with their own power supply, not port powered as those are a bit flaky as Apple can just determine the device is drawing too much current from the computer and turn it off.
Note: sometimes if your computer is so full, you might actually have to delete some files in order to be able to get it to function transferring files, so pick ones that you can get new copies again, like free iTunes podcasts or movies for instance.
TimeMachine Drive
The first drive you connect to the Mac is going to pop up a window to ask if you want to make this a "TimeMachine Drive" go ahead and allow it to do that, it's backing up everything on your internal boot drive, it's going to take a long time.
Once it's finished, disconnect this TimeMachine drive and label it as a "TimeMachine Drive"
Extra space /Storage drives
The second drive you connect is going to be your "extra storage drive" basically to free up space off the internal boot drive by transferring files to it.
Formatting:
You first need to format this drive, you use Disk Utility in the Applications> Utilities folder.
On the left will be the 'name of the drive' + "media" click that and then click the Partition tab
Now click 1 Partition, Option: GUID, format OS X Extended (Journaled), give it a name like "StorageOne" and click Apply.
Now click the Erase Tab and Security Option> Zero All Data and click Erase (use the same name) this will take a long time, like 2 hours per 1TB. It's going to check the drive for any errors and make sure it's working.
Note: If the drive fails to format, then perform the Zero All Data first, then visit the Partition tab.
Once the second drive is finished, then do the third drive in the same manner, this time naming it "StorageTwo"
Transferring Data off to the Extra Storage drive
Connect only StorageOne drive and visit your User/Movies folder, it's likely the biggest culprit of oversized files. Create a new folder on the StorageOne drive called "ExtraMovies" and transfer the contents of User/Movies to the "ExtraMovies" folder via drag and drop methods.
Confirm the files were transferred and then delete those movies by dragging them to your Trash can and selecting "Empty Trash" from the Finder menu (if you select Secure Empty Trash on large files it takes a really long time to finish as it's scrubbing the drive, likely unnecessary except for sensitive files)
If you have a large amount of User/Files elsewhere, you will have to search yourself and repeat the same steps to free up room on your internal boot drive.
Once you have made some free space, download this free program to help you visualize where all your space is being taken up.
http://grandperspectiv.sourceforge.net/#download
Once you have completed moving files to the StorageOne drive, connect StorageTwo and copy the contents of StorageOne folders to StorageTwo drive. Both drives have to be connected of course.
Rule of thumb
Maintain TWO separate hardware copies of your User data at ALL TIMES
Because you need more room, thus the storage drives are for extra space. The TimeMachine drive is a backup of your internal boot drive and the second storage drive is a backup copy of the first storage drive. So that way your sticking with the rule of thumb, get it?
Don't connect TimeMachine while your transferring files, or formatting drives, you don't want it to "kick in" while your doing all this heavy work or transferring a large amount of files, I think it does so every hour, which you are going to taking quite some time to do all this work.
Once your all done making room and copying files to the Storage drives, disconnect them and label them and date them.
Reconnect TimeMachine drive
Then connect the TimeMachine drive and it will make a NEW backup of your now newer configuration on your boot drive and keep it updated every time you connect it.
Again, TimeMachine is NOT a storage drive for permanent keeping of data, it deletes old stuff as time progresses. So even though you can "go back in time" and recover a file you transferred then deleted off the your internal boot drive, it won't keep everything forever like a storage drive can.
Consider Cloning your boot drive.
TimeMachine drives can only restore, they are not bootable like a clone is, so a TimeMachine drive isn't a heck of a lot of help if your hard drive fails to boot the computer, so a "hold the option key bootable clone" made with third party software is a very useful as you get to use the computer just like it was before and can get online, grab files off the internal drive and so forth. Even erase and reverse cloning!
The trick with a clone is you make one and keep it disconnected, updating it from time to time. If a software update or install hoses your machine, you can option boot off the clone, grab the latest copy of your files and reverse clone the clone with the updated files back onto your OS X partition, reboot the computer and it's like nothing happened.
It's a advanced technique, you will have to learn a lot more perhaps before attempting it, but it's a lifesaver.
Cloning requires another separate external hard drive and free cloning software.
You can read more about it all here. Take your time, you have a lot to absorb.
https://discussions.apple.com/message/16276201#16276201

I can't login, keep geting "Your Startup Disk is Full" and asking me to delete file. if I cant login how can I delete files? Please help

I Keep getting "your startup disk is full" ..... "You need to make more space available on your startup disk by deleting file..." If I can't have an acess, how can I delete files. Please help..

That means the hard drive of your computer is full, and you don't have enough free space on your computer, to do what you are trying to do.
You need to clear up space on your computer.
If you hard drive is full, check the following places to ensure they are not holding unwanted data.
- your trash can in the dock
- if you use iPhoto, your trash in iPhoto - launch iPhoto, and select trash in the left hand column. iPhoto has it's own trash, and is often overlooked
- your download folder - finder / home user / downloads - every time you download something, it stores it here. This is often overlooked as well
- do you have more than one user on the computer? If you do, ensure they are needed. If not, delete them, and the contents of their home folders
If you hard drive is very full, you may want to consider the following:
- putting in a newer larger hard drive - (call you local apple store for prices on this)
- deleting data off your computer
- moving data to an external drive - (iPhoto Libraries, iTunes Libraries or iMovie events, as they are the biggest space hogs)

I have a mac pro i bought in 2008. I keep getting prompted my start up disk is full. I have delted many files, however I'm still getting the prompt

I have a mac pro i bought in 2008. I keep getting prompted my start up disk is full. I have delted many files, however I'm still getting the prompt

Then your hard drive is full. You need to move large libraries to another location (like an external drive). Libraries like iPhoto, iTunes, and even iMovie Events, are very big space hogs.
iPhoto
Moving iPhoto Library - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1229. and http://support.apple.com/kb/PH2506.
iTunes
Moving iTunes Music from one computer to another or an external drive - http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=iTunesMac/8.2/en/15475.html and HT1449 - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1449
iMovie
Moving iMovie Events to an external drive to save space see the following 2 articles:
PH2302 - How to move "Events Only" to an external hard drive - http://support.apple.com/kb/PH2302?viewlocale=en_US.
PH2289 - How to move "Projects" (and their associated events) to an external drive - http://support.apple.com/kb/PH2289?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US.
Also note, you can save space on your hard drive by deleting "Excess" unused video in your event folder - see the iMovie 11 help menu, and select the "browse help" tab. Under Manage Events, select "Delete all excess video from an event"
NOTE - ensure you are "Moving" the data, and not just "Copying" the data as per - http://support.apple.com/kb/PH2302?viewlocale=en_US. (hold down COMMAND while dragging to the external drive) for the best results and less chance of loosing data connection with the project

I have an old apple id that I don't use (and I don't remember the password) and it now won't let me log in for updates, how can I delete it

I have an old apple id that I don't use (and I don't remember the password) and it now won't let me log in for updates, how can I delete it

Click here and try resetting that account’s password.
That Apple ID is stored inside each of those applications. If you can’t get back into it, you’ll need to delete and redownload all of them, which may require repurchasing paid ones.
(115401)

I am being told my startup disk is full, but I have 4.58 gigs left. Any help on this?, I am being told my startup disk is full, but I have 4.58 gigs left. Any help on this?

Because of this - I am unable to download music etc.

Your internal drive cannot be only half full with only 4.58 GBs of free space unless you only have a 10 GB hard drive. Hardly likely in a MBP.
If you backup and/or transfer data from the internal drive do you you then delete the data from the internal drive? If not, then it's all still there taking up space.
You might try using OmniDiskSweeper 1.7.2 to see what's taking up space on your drive. More tips will be found at the XLabs site's FAQ.

My start up disk is full and I get a blank screen when I turn on how can i fix this

my start up disc is full and when i switch on my computer the screen is blank. how can i get the dock up again

I have the same problem. Anyone help you?

How do you replace the main start up drive?

My main drive is full and I want to replace it with a larger drive. How do you go about upgrading the hard drive as a start up disk?

danbfoto wrote:
My main drive is full and I want to replace it with a larger drive. How do you go about upgrading the hard drive as a start up disk?
Stick a new drive in a free bay. Format it with Disk Utility. And then use a backup utility like Carbon Copy Cloner to copy your current drive to the new drive essentially making them equivalent. Then change Startup Disk system preferences to use the new drive and reboot (from your new drive) and continue on your merry way.
Keep the original as a backup.

Getting messages "startup disk is full" and activity monitor is showing "syslog d" is using a lot of CPU. I'm planning on getting more memory for my late 2008 model Macbook but wondering if there's something that is causing problems that I can also fix.

I had closed out of all of my programs but heard the internal fans running so I checked the activity monitor. It shows syslog d as the top process using the CPU right now. I have no idea what that means.
I read a thread about the startup disk being full and how you can free up memory. I have an airport extreme so TimeCapsule is backing up everything. I do have a bunch of pictures on iPhoto on the laptop; could move those to another location but I'm a little gunshy. I know they are on the TimeCapsule but I would like to save them to a second place before deleting from laptop just to be sure. I went through several things yesterday and emptied trash, etc. I wasn't able to locate the hidden files that the thread about the startup disk being full was referencing --- they were talking about large emails that were causing processes to happen taking up the CPU.... I wasn't able to find out if that was the case for me.
Also I'm going to look into getting another 2MB of memory and installing it on the Macbook, so I can upgrade to the latest OS. Anyone have an idea if that is worth the $$$ over buying a new laptop? Or anyone have ideas as to where to buy memory, etc.
Any ideas - help!

Go step by step and test.
1. Start up in Safe Mode.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/PH11212
2. Empty Trash.
   http://support.apple.com/kb/PH13806
3. Disk space / Time Machine ?/ Local Snapshots
Local backups
   http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4878
4. Delete old iOS Devices Backup.
    iTunes > Preferences > Devices
    Highlight the old Backups , press “Delete Backup” and then “OK”.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4946?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US
5. Re-index Macintosh HD.
    This will take a while. Wait until it is finished.
    System Preferences > Spotlight > Privacy
    http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2409

I can't download anything as it keeps telling me my start up disk is full. I have deleted loads of files and it still keeps popping up with the same messge??

Please help - I am not too computer savvi and my computer keeps telling me my start up disk is full. I have purchased a passport and transferred loads of images and files onto that and then deleted them from my computer but the message is still the same and I can't download anything.

How big is your hard drive, and how much space is used/free?
To find out, click once on the hard drive icon on your desktop to highlight it (it will be called Macintosh HD unless you renamed it). Click the command and I keys on your keyboard to open the information window. In "General", you will see Capacity and Available. What are those figures?
If you have a little bit of space left, I recommend that you install Omnidisksweeper (it's free) to tell you what folders are using up the most room.
Be careful when you transfer files - only move files that you know are yours. Don't move or delete any system files unless you're specifically recommended to do so (some files are safe to delete; some are not).
Matt

I am having problems gettting my mail to work ... Mac telling me that my start up disk id full and to delete some files to free up space ... have done this but when i open mail from the dock it just brings up the colour wheel and nothing happening

I am having problems gettting my mail to work ... Mac telling me that my start up disk id full and to delete some files to free up space ... have done this but when i open mail from the dock it just brings up the colour wheel and nothing happening ... it shows when you right click on the mail icon that " application not responding"

If your hard drive is getting full, you need to free up, at least, 20 GBs of space on your iMac's hard drive.
If your Mac is running a fairly recent version of OS X, here are some general guidelines.
Follow some of my tips for cleaning out, deleting and archiving data from your Mac's internal hard drive.
Have you emptied your iMac's Trash icon in the Dock?
If you use iPhoto, iPhoto has its own trash that needs to be emptied, also.
If you use Apple Mail app, Apple Mail also has its own trash area that needs to be emptied, too!
Other things you can do to gain space.
Delete any old or no longer needed emails and/or archive to disc, flash drives or external hard drive, older emails you want to save.
Look through your Documents folder and delete any type of old useless type files like "Read Me" type files.
Again, archive to disc, flash drives, ext. hard drives or delete any old documents you no longer use or immediately need.
Download an app called OnyX for your version of OS X.
When you install and launch it, let it run the automatic ans S.M,A.R.T. tests, then go to the cleaning and maintenance tabs and run the tabs that have the ability to clean out all web browser cache files, web browser histories, system cache files, delete old error log files.
Typically, iTunes and iPhoto libraries are the biggest users of HD space.
move these files/data off of your internal drive to the external hard drive and deleted off of the internal hard drive.
If you have any other large folders of personal data or projects, these should be archived or moved, also, to the optical discs, flash drives or external hard drive and then either archived to disc and/or deleted off your internal hard drive.
Good Luck!

My start up disk is full and I need to move my files to an external hard drive, how do i do so?

My start up disk is full and i need to move my files to an external hard drive, how do i do so?

Ensure that the external is correctly formatted
Drag and dropped the files
Test to be sure that the moved files work
Once the moved files work delete the originals
Allan

My start up disk is full, and i can no longer log in to my username to remedy it. i am abroad and my coverage is about to expire. what to do?

My start up disk is full, and I can no longer access my username to remedy it or remove files. I can only access the guest user profile in safari only mode. I am currently overseas and my coverage expired the day this problem happened. sos what do i do? i need to access iphoto and itunes. and everything else I have

My start up disk is full, and I can no longer access my username to remedy it or remove files. I can only access the guest user profile in safari only mode. I am currently overseas and my coverage expired the day this problem happened. sos what do i do? i need to access iphoto and itunes. and everything else I have

My mac book startup disk is full and when I start it, it give me a blank blue screen. I have tried the shift and I started in safe mode, and it gave me the stars screen. How can I delete files to fix the problem

My mac book startup disk is full and when I start it, it give me a blank blue screen. I have tried the shift upon start
and I started in safe mode, and it gave me the stars screen. How can I delete files to fix the problem

1. Start up in Safe Mode.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/PH11212
2. Empty Trash.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/PH10677
3. Delete "Recovered Messages", if any.
    Hold the option key down and click "Go" menu in the Finder menu bar.
    Select "Library" from the dropdown.
    Library > Mail > V2 > Mailboxes
    Delete "Recovered Messages", if any.
    Empty Trash. Restart.
4. Delete old iOS Devices Backup.
    iTunes > Preferences > Devices
    Highlight the old Backups , press “Delete Backup” and then “OK”.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4946?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US
5. Re-index Macintosh HD
   System Preferences > Spotlight > Privacy
   http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2409

My macbook start up disk is full and i have to delete files to make room for updates. how do you make room on start up disk?

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