Free Methods to Fix ‘Startup Disk Full’ Issue on Mac

Recent Macs have a Solid-State Drive (SSD) as the secondary storage device. SSDs are fast but have low storage capacity. So, after a few months of usage, the free space in SSD decreases. Even Mac with a hard drive or fusion drive suffers from insufficient storage space after a certain period.

The reduced space on the Startup Disk results in freezing, crashing, or slowing of your Mac. Also, macOS throws the‘Startup Disk Full’error when the free space reduces beyond its limit. Relax. Go through the following troubleshooting methods to fix the “Startup Disk full” issue on macOS.

1. Manage Storage Drive on Your Mac

You can check how much storage space is used by different file types in macOS and manually manage your Mac storage drive. Steps are explained next:

a)Go toApplemenu >About This Mac. A window opens that shows the overview of your Mac.

b)Click theStoragetab. The screen graphically shows the storage space according to file types.

c)Click theManagetab. From the left pane, you’ll see automatic recommendations for clean-up.

d)右窗格中allows you to商店in iCloud,Optimize Storage,Empty Trash Automatically, andReduce Clutter. Click the corresponding button to perform the required task.

e)From the left pane, click theApplicationsoption to know all the installed applications on your Mac storage drive on the right pane. Uninstall unneeded applications from here.

f)Click theDocumentsoption from the left pane to know which documents and folders use the most storage. Select a tab—Large Files, Downloads, or File Browser—from the right pane. For instance, from theDownloadstab, click the cross (x) icon on any unneeded file to remove it.

g)From theFile Browsertab, secondary click any unneeded item and selectMove to Trash.

h)Select theiOS Filesoption from the left pane to permanently erase device backups and software updates to free storage space on your Startup Disk.

i)Select theiTunesoption from the left pane to remove movies, TV shows, and podcasts that you can download again to free storage space on your Startup Disk. From the right pane, select theOpen iTunesbutton.

j)From theLibrarytab, choose a file type from the left pane, secondary-click any item from the right pane, and chooseDelete from Library.

k)Select theMailoption from the left pane and remove junk mails to regain Startup Disk space.

l)Select theTrashoption from the left pane to browse your Trash folder. You can remove individual items or click theEmpty Trashbutton from the top-right corner to free up Startup disk space.

2. Delete Duplicate Files from Startup Disk

Mac Startup Disk should have sufficient free space to make it work correctly. You can free up Startup Disk space by deleting all duplicate files from your Mac. Steps are as follows:

a)From the Menu Bar, go toFile>New Smart Folder.

b)In the window, click the+sign located at the top-right corner to add a new filter.

c)Change the filter parameters to include any file kind. Locate duplicate files.

d)Keep the original files and select all the duplicates, secondary click, and chooseMove to Trash.

e)Perform the duplicate file removal task for other file kinds.

f)After all duplicates are recovered, openTrashand check all deleted files, thenEmpty Trash.

Also Read:How to Remove Duplicate Files from Mac for Free?

3. Remove Caches and Logs from Mac

You can remove caches and logs from your Mac to free up Startup Disk space. Steps are as follows:

a)From the Menu Bar, navigate toGo>Go To Folder.

b)In theGo to Foldertextbox, type~/Library/Cachesand clickGo.

c)Open each folder one by one, delete all the cache files, and then empty your Trash.

d)From theGo To Folder, type~/Library, and clickGoTo remove log files.

e)Find theLogfolder. Open the folder and delete the log files of apps that you don’t use.

f)Open Trash and check if you have any important files to restore, and thenEmpty Trash.

Once you perform the above solutions, your Mac Startup Disk will regain free space and function properly without any slowdown errors. You need to perform these methods time and again to optimize free space on your Mac Startup Disk.

4. Clean-Up Software Method to Free Up Startup Disk Space

The manual clean-up task is monotonous and requires your time and energy. There is a better workaround for this tedious task. You can use a Mac clean-up software to remove junk, duplicate, and large files with a click of a button. Steps to free up Startup Disk space are as follows:

a)下载并安装free SpeedUp Mac softwareon your iMac, MacBook, or Mac mini.

Free for 30 Days

b)Launch the software and selectMacintosh HDfrom the left panel of the software interface.

c)Press theScanbutton to initiate the scanning process on Macintosh HD, the selected drive.

d)See the total file size that the software can clean. Select the required files from the checkbox.

e)Click theSpeedUpNowbutton to remove Cache Files, Log Files, Trashes & Leftovers, System Junk, and Language Files from your Mac Startup Disk.

f)Let the software to perform the cleaning task on the Mac Startup Disk.

g)ClickOKon theProcess Completeddialog window.

*SpeedUp Mac software comes with complete functionality for 30 days without any cost. You can activate the software any time before the due date to continue using it.

Conclusion

Mac Startup Disk can fill up with stored applications and data after a particular time. The low free space can result in theStartup Disk Fullerror on your Mac. You can eliminate the error by removing inessential applications, downloaded files, duplicate data, caches, and logs from your Mac, then empty Trash after verifying its stored content.

The above manual process might seem doable to free up storage space on Startup Disk for one or more times, but it is not helpful if your Mac runs out of Startup Disk space frequently.SpeedUp Macsoftware can automate the clean-up task at a scheduled interval and save your time and energy in such a situation.