2019 Macbook pro, Sonoma "Not enough disk space"

[Desmond]

My problems started while editing videos on Capcut, it said "Not enough disk space". I checked and found that my drive was almost 100% used up due to "system data"
taking up almost all of the free space, almost 120 gig of it. After restarting I found that system data was 100 gig smaller but I still got the error code. I decided to delete Capcut and open iMove. iMovie then also gave a fault "not enough disk space" when I tried to edit a video even though I have nearly 120G of empty space.
Next I tried downloading a program to clean up some space and it returned the same error "not enough disk space"!
There are various sites suggesting deleting junk etc. but my drive is only half full - what do I do next?

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[Desmond]

A restart fixed the problem.

 

[Growltiger]

I regard 1TB as the absolute minimum disk space on any computer.
Apple like to sell computers with very small disks, which are fine for users who mainly do web browsing, social media and emails.
You could add an external drive, preferably an SSD.

 

[Him-Abroad]

Agreed with Growltiger, 1TB is the minimum if one does Imaging or especially video. I have a 2TB SSD internal. Removing all Photos/Videos/Music to external leaves me with 1.8TB free on the internal. The other thing that helps is stuffing as much RAM in as one can afford.

 

[Desmond]

I know, I wish it had a bigger drive but what I do is shift files to my NAS to keep it clear. 120 gig should be more than enough to edit the occasional video.

 

[Walter Rowe]

Sometimes running a Disk Utility First Aid will also help reclaim free space that hasn't been let go of. One thing to know about macOS and Unix in general is that a file can be "deleted" and not show up in Finder, but a process can still have that file open and the file remains on the file system until the process(es) with open "file handles" for the file let go of them (by closing the files or stopping and restarting the apps). Some background processes also can hold files open which is why it sometimes requires restarting macOS to free up the space held by these by processes.

 

[Desmond]

Sometimes running a Disk Utility First Aid will also help reclaim free space that hasn't been let go of. One thing to know about macOS and Unix in general is that a file can be "deleted" and not show up in Finder, but a process can still have that file open and the file remains on the file system until the process(es) with open "file handles" for the file let go of them (by closing the files or stopping and restarting the apps). Some background processes also can hold files open which is why it sometimes requires restarting macOS to free up the space held by these by processes.

Thanks Walter - I will try the first aid and report back with a before and after of my storage space. [after work]

 

[Walter Rowe]

Other things that can consume local space are local caches of cloud drives (google, OneDrive, iCloud, dropbox, box, etc), app caches (look in your home folder Library/Caches), email caches (especially attachments - set apple mail to not download attachments), your downloads folder, mobile device backups, icloud photos library local cache, software update downloads.

 

[Him-Abroad]

Yes very good idea to get rig of cache on a regular basis. Also not to allow the Mail app to have hundreds and hundred of mail in the Inbox.

 

[7006]

My workplace made the mistake of purchasing the MBP 13 inch with 128GB in the past.
In theory, it should have been fine, as most office workers used cloud based apps and cloud based storage.
In reality, it was an unmitigated disaster.

 

[Desmond]

I still wonder why, after all these years, they can't write an OS that sorts these problems out
along the way. If third party software can clean things up why can't they just write the OS
properly in the first place rather than wasting time on unnecessary changes.

 

[Walter Rowe]

I still wonder why, after all these years, they can't write an OS that sorts these problems out
along the way. If third party software can clean things up why can't they just write the OS
properly in the first place rather than wasting time on unnecessary changes.

Because often times it is third party apps that are polluting your storage. Adobe is a nightmare. You can use all of their removal tools to delete their apps. They STILL leave services running and files deposited all over your computer. I have cancelled my Adobe subscription and have no Adobe software on any of my computers.

 

[Desmond]

I ran first aid, it lasted about 30 seconds and I lost 1 gig of storage.

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[Growltiger]

Q. When will customers stop buying computers (or tablets or phones) with ridiculously small disks (and/or memory)?
A. When they stop making them - they are the cheapest option so attractive.
Q. When will they stop making them?
A. Never. They allow them to show the best competitive price and attract customers. Better still, the customer is more likely to replace the device much sooner as it will run out of the needed capacity. If possible make sure the product can't be upgraded to force a new purchase.

It would cost very little for manufacturers to at least give customers a basic 1TB.
To give you an idea of cost here is a current high end, modern interface, internal SSD, the Samsung 990 Pro. The 1TB is about $125 retail. The 2TB is about $200 retail.
https://www.amazon.com/SAMSUNG-Internal-Expansion-MZ-V9P1T0B-AM/dp/B0BHJF2VRN/?th=1

I recently upgraded four of my (upgradeable) computers, three desktops and one laptop, from 1TB to 2TB using this product. Of the 2TB space, 500GB is dedicated to OS and software, the rest to my data. (The two main desktops also have an internal 8TB traditional disk).

 

[Him-Abroad]

Because often times it is third party apps that are polluting your storage. Adobe is a nightmare. You can use all of their removal tools to delete their apps. They STILL leave services running and files deposited all over your computer. I have cancelled my Adobe subscription and have no Adobe software on any of my computers.

I use this effective tool https://freemacsoft.net/appcleaner/

 

[Walter Rowe]

I use this effective tool https://freemacsoft.net/appcleaner/

I use AppCleaner too. While it is good it only deletes the files shown in the BOM (bill of materials). Adobe doesn't include everything in the BOM. Many apps create files on the fly that are not listed in the BOM. Thus we have cruft that remains.

 

[Him-Abroad]

I use AppCleaner too. While it is good it only deletes the files show in the BOM (bill of materials). Adobe doesn't include everything in the BOM. Many apps create files on the fly that are not listed in the BOM. This we have cruft that remains.

I wasn’t aware of that thanks.

 

[Desmond]

Q. When will customers stop buying computers (or tablets or phones) with ridiculously small disks (and/or memory)?

My Macbook was an insurance replacement after my 2013 Macbook was damaged after being stolen. But I hear what you are saying - though I don't see why 256Gig can still be workable if I store my main documents elsewhere.

 

[Growltiger]

My Macbook was an insurance replacement after my 2013 Macbook was damaged after being stolen. But I hear what you are saying - though I don't see why 256Gig can still be workable if I store my main documents elsewhere.

Yes, you can use the cloud or an external drive. But it is better to have a portable computer that actually has all your data in it. If you have very little data you will be OK.