If you’re a graphic designer or photo editor, you’ve probably encountered the problem of your scratch disks being full while using Adobe software such as Photoshop. This can be frustrating as it prevents you from making further edits. In this guide, we’ll show you how to clear your scratch disks and free up space on your computer.
To start, go to Preferences and then Scratch Disks. Here, you can adjust the parameters that dictate how fast or slow your scratch disks build up. However, what you want to focus on is the cache that Adobe creates while you’re using the software. These caches are designed to allow things to render faster and make the process smoother, but over time, they will build up and take up memory on your computer.
To clear your cache, go to the top hand corner of your screen and push the Alt key (or the Option key if you’re using a PC). Click on Library, then Application Support, and then Adobe. Click on Common and then Media Cache Files. These are the caching files that are taking up memory on your computer. Highlight all of them and move them to the trash to get rid of them.
You can also clear additional space by going back to the beginning and clicking on Caches. Look for the Adobe Cache and clear out any caches for applications that you no longer use. Be careful not to clear out anything that you still need.
After you’ve cleared your cache, be sure to empty your trash can and restart your computer. This will help free up space on your system and prevent pop-up messages about scratch disks from appearing.
While Macs tend to maintain themselves and don’t require much maintenance, clearing your scratch disks and cache is a simple way to speed up the process and make Photoshop a more enjoyable experience. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to leave a comment below.