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Last updated on
Nov 3, 2025
Unable to launch Photoshop Elements on Mac due to full scratch disks
Issue
When you launch Photoshop Elements Editor on a Mac machine, you receive the following error message:
Could not complete your request because the scratch disks are full
Reason
There is not enough space available on your scratch or startup disk to launch Photoshop Elements Editor.
Solution 1: Create 5 GB of free disk space
Remove some files from your disk to have at least 5 GB of disk space available on the scratch or startup disk.
Solution 2: Reset the Preferences file
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Access the default Preferences file located at:
/Users/[user name]/Library/Preferences/Adobe Photoshop Elements 17 Settings
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Rename the Preferences file by suffixing _old to the filename. The renamed Preferences file will be:
/Users/[user name]/Library/Preferences/Adobe Photoshop Elements 17 Settings_old
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(Optional) Delete some files from the disk to have at least 5 GB of free disk space.
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Restart Photoshop Elements.
