Start up disk is full but have 309 GB available

Keep getting a message Force Quit Applications Your Mac OS X startup disk has no more space available for application memory. To avoid problems with your computer, quit any applications you are not using. Closing windows an removing files from your startup disk will also help.
I will quit all my applications, and reopen safari, but I keep getting the message. This has been going on for a few weeks, and if I turn off my computer and turn it back on, I won't get the message for a few days but it always comes back.
I am just confused because I have lots of free space on my computer 309 GB. I have emptied all my trashes.
What can I do to fix this?

In this situation I think this is more to do with RAM/memory. Open Activity Monitor in Applications>Utilities. Go to System Memory. How much Free and Inactive, down at the bottom? What is it saying for Page outs and Swap used?
Read
Determine how much paging your system is performing
http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/lackofram.html

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My macbook air won't load. Says start up disk is full but I can't get the home page to open

My Macbook air won't load. Says the start up disk is full but won't open the home page so I can do anything about it

Step 1
The first step in dealing with a startup failure is to secure the data. If you want to preserve the contents of the startup drive, and you don't already have at least one current backup, you must try to back up now, before you do anything else. It may or may not be possible. If you don't care about the data that has changed since the last backup, you can skip this step.
There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to start. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.
a. Start up from the Recovery partition, or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) When the OS X Utilities screen appears, launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in this support article, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.” The article refers to starting up from a DVD, but the procedure in Recovery mode is the same. You don't need a DVD if you're running OS X 10.7 or later.
b. If Step 1a fails because of disk errors, and no other Mac is available, then you may be able to salvage some of your files by copying them in the Finder. If you already have an external drive with OS X installed, start up from it. Otherwise, if you have Internet access, follow the instructions on this page to prepare the external drive and install OS X on it. You'll use the Recovery installer, rather than downloading it from the App Store.
c. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, start the non-working Mac in target disk mode. Use the working Mac to copy the data to another drive. This technique won't work with USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
d. If the internal drive of the non-working Mac is user-replaceable, remove it and mount it in an external enclosure or drive dock. Use another Mac to copy the data.
Step 2
You might be able to start up in safe mode even though you can't start up normally. Otherwise, start up from an external drive, or else use the technique in Step 1b, 1c, or 1d to mount the internal drive and delete some files. According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of available space on the startup volume (as shown in the Finder Info window) for normal operation.

Start up disk memory full but can I replace my memory with 1GB disk?

My start up disk memory is full. I have delete a majority of cluttered mess I do not need but I know that I will fill it up fairly soon. I have an external hard drive but how do I put some of my files onto that? If I put it on the hard-drive will I only be able to access it with the hard-drive plugged in?
And I currently have 512MB put into my Powerbook. Can I add in a 1GB memory card into my Powerbook without losing any of my files? And if I will lose my files will the Apple store (where I plan to get 1GB memory put in) put all my files on a disk and then replace it?

You can only use your external drive if it is hooked up, through direct USB/Firewire or through a network.
Adding RAM has no effect on the files you have on your hard drive. I'd suggest, considering how much Apple overcharges for RAM, that you get third party RAM and install it yourself, its not that hard.

My M-Air start up disk if full; I have the a new time capsule, how do I transfer and use the TC as my main storage drive?

The start-up disk on my MAC AIR is full - I just added a new Time Capsule - how do you transfer your files from the AIR to the TC and set it up to be used as my primary storage disk - not my Mac Air

Get a second external drive, drag both the iTunes library and the pictures to it, launch iTunes with the Option key held down, and point it to that instance of the library. This also works with iPhoto, but see below.
A drive or partition needs to be formatted as Mac OS Extended in order to hold an iPhoto library or for Time Machine to back it up.
(83755)

Start Up Disk is Full but i don't have much on my Mac!!!

Hello, I am trying to download and use Cord for work as well as update my iTunes to the newest release, however it says I do not have space!!!! I moved 9k photos to an external HD yesterday and deleted them from iPhoto as well as have an empty trash can, I took a screen shot of what my memory under about this mac says, someone please help, I literally have zero pics on this computer, and about 900 songs, most of which are in the cloud because it says I do not have enough memory to download them, I am at a loss, and fairly computer savvy less!!!!
I do not even know how I got to hard drives and what could possible be taking up so much spacE!!!!!
Thank you!!

Thank you for the quick response!!! I have NO idea how this happened either, I was trying to install yosemite and it has been messed up since, it did install yosemite but since then I have zero memory, this is a shot of my disk utility, will you kindly walk me through the steps you would take to start over? I have my music and photos backed up so starting from scratch is a very viable option for me, thank you for your time and help!!

My start up disk is full but FCX says I 'dont have permission to move projects and events' in order to save space

Hello,
I' ve been working in FC10 and normally have a folder on my computer which stores my events files, original media etc. automatically.
I've had a warning that FCX can't save data as there is not enough room on the disk. In order to try to rectify this I deleted unused render files and got rid of a few projects.
This didn't help so I thought, okay, Ill move some of the remaining projects onto my external hard drive, that will free up some space. BUT FCX came up with a window which had 'no value' in the drop down section for selecting a destination and then came up with a window stating that I 'did not have permission' to do this.
I'm a bit lost at this point as to know what that means and why its saying that. How else can I make room so that I can save and export my video and have room to make more videos?
Any advice greatly appreciated!
Many thanks
Nastassja

nastassjasouthend wrote:
I' ve been working in FC10
Specifically. what version number?
Russ

Startup disk almost full but cannot log on to delete items

when I start up my MacBook air it said "start up disk almost full" but I cannot even log on my act to get to my home screen to attempt to delete stuff... what do I do?

Step 1
The first step in dealing with a startup failure is to secure the data. If you want to preserve the contents of the startup drive, and you don't already have at least one current backup, you must try to back up now, before you do anything else. It may or may not be possible. If you don't care about the data that has changed since the last backup, you can skip this step.
There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to start. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.
a. Start up from the Recovery partition, or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) When the OS X Utilities screen appears, launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in this support article, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.” The article refers to starting up from a DVD, but the procedure in Recovery mode is the same. You don't need a DVD if you're running OS X 10.7 or later.
b. If Step 1a fails because of disk errors, and no other Mac is available, then you may be able to salvage some of your files by copying them in the Finder. If you already have an external drive with OS X installed, start up from it. Otherwise, if you have Internet access, follow the instructions on this page to prepare the external drive and install OS X on it. You'll use the Recovery installer, rather than downloading it from the App Store.
c. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, start the non-working Mac in target disk mode. Use the working Mac to copy the data to another drive. This technique won't work with USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
d. If the internal drive of the non-working Mac is user-replaceable, remove it and mount it in an external enclosure or drive dock. Use another Mac to copy the data.
Step 2
You might be able to start up in safe mode even though you can't start up normally. Otherwise, start up from an external drive, or else use the technique in Step 1b, 1c, or 1d to mount the internal drive and delete some files. According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of available space on the startup volume (as shown in the Finder Info window) for normal operation.

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!

Hello, I have a problem with my start up disk is full. I have cleared the movies and non relevant items from my computer, but when I check my storage in About tho mac, the movie in the storage indicate still 178 GB of movies. So How can I get read of that

Hello, I have the alarm Start up disk is full. I have cleared everything, I have removed all the movies from itune. But when I check via the apple icon , About this mac and then more info and then storage, the graphic shows movies still at 178 GB. How can I clear that so that I can free my start up disc?
Thank you.

Dear Allan,
Here is the status of my storage.,
Cheers

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

HT204146 My MacBook Air is always telling me that my start up disk is full or fairly full. Will iTunes match alleviate this problem? I have an iCloud account.

My MacBook Air is always telling me that my start up disk is full or nearly full. Will iTunes match alleviate the problem of storage on my Hard Drive? I have an iCloud account.

It could, but I wouldn't. You really need two external hard drives (one to act as a backup for the other one). Relocate your entire iTunes library to the external drive unless there are things you would prefer to simply archive (movies you don't need to watch everyday).
FAQ: Why iTunes Match Can Not Be Used as a Backup - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-4112
Using Match as a backup for iTunes - https://discussions.apple.com/message/17039436#17039436
To move a library if you use iTunes' default preferences settings: Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its sub-folders and files) intact to the other drive. Hold down the option (alt) key (shift on Windows) and open iTunes. At the prompt to create or choose a library choose the copied iTunes folder.

I have an iMac 5.1 with Mac OSX 10.6.8 and 2 GB memory and an L2 cache of 4 GB. lately I have been receiving error messages of " start up disk almost full; please delete files." is the start up disk the same thing as the hard drive?

I have an iMac 5.1 with Mac OSX 10.6.8 and 2 GB memory and an L2 cache of 4 GB. lately I have been receiving error messages of " start up disk almost full; please delete files." is the start up disk the same thing as the hard drive? I opened the hard drive and from the column on the left of the menu I've selected "search for" and under that " all images" then "all documents" I've deleted a few files from each. Are documents and images that I have deleted from here also deleted from the folders on my desktop?

You should never, EVER let a conputer hard drive get completely full, EVER!
With Macs and OS X, you shouldn't let the hard drive get below 15 GBs or less of free data space.
If it does, it's time for some hard drive housecleaning.
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 store images in other locations other than iPhoto, then you will have to weed through these to determine what to archive and what to delete.
If you use Apple Mail app, Apple Mail also has its own trash area that needs to be emptied, too!
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.
Delete any other mail in your Junk folders. Also, look through your Sent Mail to see if there is anything that can be deleted.
Other things you can do to gain space.
Once you have around 15 GBs regained, do a search, download and install OmniDisk Sweeper.
This app will help you locate files that you can move/archive and/or delete from your system.
STAY AWAY FROM DELETING ANY FILES FROM OS X SYSTEM FOLDER!
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.
Look in your Applications folder, if you have applications you haven't used in a long time, if the app doesn't have a dedicated uninstaller, then you can simply drag it into the OS X Trash icon. IF the application has an uninstaller app, then use it to completely delete the app from your Mac.
Download an app called OnyX for your version of OS X.
When you install and launch it, let it do its initial automatic tests, then go to the cleaning and maintenance tabs and run the maintenance tabs that let OnyX 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!

I have a mid 2007 iMac.    2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4 GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM, OSX 10.9.5.   I attempted to do the latest update and got the message: Start up disk is full. Delete files. How do I do that?

I have a mid 2007 iMac.    2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4 GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM, OSX 10.9.5.   I attempted to do the latest update and got the message: Start up disk is full. Delete files. How do I do that?

Freeing Up Space on The Hard Drive
1. See Lion/Mountain Lion/Mavericks' 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. Get an external hard drive on which to store some of your files after which you can
      erase the data from your internal drive to free up space.
5. Also see Freeing space on your Mac OS X startup disk.
6. See Where did my Disk Space go?.
7. 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.

I have installed Photoshop element 12 trail version in my system and i worked also for some days but it given error that "cannot load default brushes because scratch disk is full " but scratch is 158GB free

Hi,
I have installed Photoshop element 12 trail version in my system and i worked also for some days but it given error that "cannot load default brushes because scratch disk is full " but scratch is 158GB free why whats the problem am not getting.

That thread helped for a time. But now it seems as though my computer is back to slow again. But, some of the jargon is over my head as well. Not sure I knew quoite everything they were talking about. But thanks a lot for that, it helped I probably just need to reread it and follow the instructions again. Thanks so much.

My start up disc is full i have a macbook air, i back everuthing up with time capsule and have movies all my music libraries and photos onto that too so as i have free space, but my max still says my startup disc is full with "other"

my start up disc is full i have a macbook air, i back everuthing up with time capsule and have movies all my music libraries and photos onto that too so as i have free space, but my max still says my startup disc is full with "other"

First, empty the Trash if you haven't already done so. Then reboot. That will temporarily free up some space.
According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of available space on the startup volume (as shown in the Finder Info window) for normal operation. You also need enough space left over to allow for growth of your data. There is little or no performance advantage to having more available space than the minimum Apple recommends. Available storage space that you'll never use is wasted space.
If you're using Time Machine to back up a portable Mac, some of the available space will be used to make local snapshots, which are backup copies of files you've recently deleted. The space occupied by local snapshots is reported as available by the Finder, and should be considered as such. In the Storage display of System Information, local snapshots are shown as "Backups." The snapshots are automatically deleted when they expire or when free space falls below a certain level. You ordinarily don't need to, and should not, delete local snapshots yourself.
To locate large files, you can use Spotlight as described here. That method may not find large folders that contain a lot of small files.
You can also use a tool such as OmniDiskSweeper (ODS) to explore your volume and find out what's taking up the space. You can delete files with it, but don't do that unless you're sure that you know what you're deleting and that all data is safely backed up. That means you have multiple backups, not just one.
Proceed further only if the problem hasn't been solved.
ODS can't see the whole filesystem when you run it just by double-clicking; it only sees files that you have permission to read. To see everything, you have to run it as root.
Back up all data now.
Install ODS in the Applications folder as usual.
Triple-click the line of text below to select it, then copy the selected text to the Clipboard (command-C):sudo /Applications/OmniDiskSweeper.app/Contents/MacOS/OmniDiskSweeper
Launch the Terminal application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.
Paste into the Terminal window (command-V). You'll be prompted for your login password, which won't be displayed when you type it. You may get a one-time warning not to screw up. If you see a message that your username "is not in the sudoers file," then you're not logged in as an administrator.
I don't recommend that you make a habit of doing this. Don't delete anything while running ODS as root. If something needs to be deleted, make sure you know what it is and how it got there, and then delete it by other, safer, means.
When you're done with ODS, quit it and also quit Terminal.

Start up disk is full but have 309 GB available

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