How To Fix Startup Disk is Full Error On Mac In 5 Steps [2022]

The startup disk is the first place that your Mac boots from. Every time you restart your Mac system, it checks the startup disk space. If it is full, then you get the error message that says Startup Disk is full On Mac. This happens because your startup disk gets filled up with apps, music, and images that you have downloaded or created.

In this article, I will show you how to fix the disk full error on mac in some easy steps.

To Fix Startup Disk Full Error On Mac, there are two ways to remove it, one is manually deleting unwanted files one by one or another is to take the help of apps like CleanMyMac X or MacFly Pro to do the task automatically.

What is Startup Disk On Mac And Why Is It Full?

A startup disk or startup drive is the main storage device where your system files and applications are stored. It is the first palace your mac boot from and it holds all of your user files, documents, pictures, videos, music, and other important data.

If your drive is full, you’ll see the message “Startup Disk is Full” in the menu bar. This error usually occurs if you try to create a new startup disk when your existing startup disk is full. When you open your System Preferences window, you can see all the disks connected to your Mac.

By default, macOS creates two startup disks.

How To Fix Or Remove Startup Disk Error On MacBook?

We know that the startup disk is a critical part of your Mac system and if you are facing any problem with this, then it can be very frustrating. May be if you are thinking that my startup disk is full how do I delete files then you just have to follow the below 5 steps guide:

Step 1: Empty the Trash Bin

If you get a startup disk error on your MacBook Pro, the best way to fix it is empty the trash bin.

Why Is The Trash Bin Causing Startup Disk Errors On My Mac?

When you delete files, you are actually marking them for deletion. Once you do that, the files are removed from your hard drive and are no longer accessible. This is why it makes sense that the startup disk error occurs when the trash bin has too many items in it. Since there is an issue with your hard drive, your Mac is not able to properly read the files.

To remove it, go to the Finder, press Command-Shift-Delete and do not look back anymore. Now, arrange some time to make it periodically, maybe once a week. It will be quite easy!

Step 2: Clean Up Apps, Music, and Images

If you find that your Mac is running slower than normal, you may be wondering why. Well, there could be a lot of reasons. The main reason is that there are a lot of apps and files that are taking up space on your startup disk. Some of these apps and files are not used often, but they still take up space. To fix this problem, you’ll need to clean up the unwanted files and apps.

There are two ways to clean up unwanted files and apps: manually and automatically. Let’s take a look at each method:

If you want to do it manually, you can delete some of these files and apps, one by one and then reboot your Mac.

If you want to do it automatically, you’ll need to use a program called CleanMyMac X. It will scan through your startup disk, find all of the unnecessary junk files and apps, and delete them with your permission.

Step 3: Check the Folder with Videos

If you need to release 10, 20, or even hundreds of GB as soon as possible from the disk, the best location for the source is the folder “Movies” or “Videos”.

Go to the Users/YourUserName section and click the “Movies” folder. Now, press Command-I and look at the upper right corner of the window to see the space that the folder occupies (it may take some time). Video content is probably the biggest animal in this startup disk full case.

As soon as I see the size it takes, I am shocked every time since it always takes up 30-40 GB of my space. After relocating the videos to the cloud or any other space, delete them right away.

SEE ALSO: How To Clean Junk Files on Mac

Step 4: Clean Up Desktop and Downloads

A trash Bin is not a single place on your Max that contains unnecessary files/data. Downloads and Desktop folders are the main culprits and the place of unwanted files that you don’t have any use for. If some files were contained there for a long time, it’s time to either delete them or solve the problem in any other way.

It is a good practice to think about all these folders as transitional and not keep the files there.

Therefore, be sure that the Downloads folder has not turned into a bottomless abyss and is adjusted properly.

Step 5: Destroy The Huge Cache Files

Cache folders are probably the main ones frequently ignored by the users. The cache is the short-term files designed to speed up specific tasks in browsers. It’s very important to clean the cache and cookies files from time to time.

The problem is that the cache files usually take a considerable amount of space. Click the Finder and then press and hold the Option button and click “Go”. It will probably open a folder with a hidden user library. Click on it and then find the folder “Caches” and clean the caches from the startup disk.

Clean Automatically

Cleaning up your startup disk can be an annoying chore. It’s something that you have to do every time you start your Macbook Pro. But you don’t have to do it manually anymore. There are built-in features and external apps that will clean your startup disk automatically. Let’s take a look at how to do the task Automatically:

There are some apps that can help you to clean your startup disk. Some of them are called Startup Disk Cleaner, CleanMyMAc X, And MacFlyPro.

The best part about these apps is that they can clean up your startup disk automatically. You don’t have to do anything. All you have to do is to launch the app, select the startup disk that you want to clean, and then click the button. It will identify unwanted and unnecessary files and then clean everything for you with your permission.

Nevertheless, the MacFly Pro application can give you hours of free time making the routine job for you. It will destroy all the unnecessary files without touching your personal files. With the help of MacFly Pro, you’ll clear the browser history way faster. MacFly Pro is a comfortable app with a good design; it has many necessary functions that you will adore after several days after its application.

Wrapping Up

To conclude the article, if you are suffering from the startup disk full error on mac then you have to run a cleaning campaign for your Mac system. To fix the issue you have two choices manual or automatic. You can follow both methods but I personally like the automatic method it saves energy and time.

If you have any questions or feedback let me know in the comments.