MrCanadian
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: Finder says hard drive nearly full... but it's not actually full?

Hello everyone,

 

I have a strange problem that I can't seem to solve, even with all my own searches into similar issues.

 

Basically:

 

1. Finder says that out of 1,000 GB on my hard drive, I have 50 or so remaining free (950 or so in use), which shouldn't be the case.

 

2. Just in case I was mistaken, I ran OmniDiskSweeper and DiskSweeper X to see what files are taking up what space, and both are in agreement that 560 or gb are being used, meaning I should still have about 340 gb left, but it's all being eaten up by something mysterious.

 

Is there anything else I could do to investigate and solve this problem and get that space back? Any help would be appreciated.

 

Time Machine has been deactivated for years, and remains so, if that offers any help.

 

Thanks!

MacBook Pro, OS X El Capitan (10.11.3)

Posted on Mar 13, 2016 9:43 PM

by Linc Davis,Solvedanswer
Linc Davis Linc Davis
Level 10 (208,037 points)
Applications
A:

For information about document versioning, see this support article. The database that stores past versions of your documents has become excessively large.

Please back up all data before making any changes.

It may not be easy to solve the problem without deleting the whole database, clearing all past versions (but not the current ones.) Often there is one document, or perhaps a few, that is large and has a long revision history, taking up most of the space. It could be a Pages document or a Keynote presentation with a lot of graphics, for example. If you know or can guess which document that is, delete most or all of its past versions as directed in the support article linked above.

If the problem isn't solved that way, see below. All past document versions will be cleared. Current versions won't be affected.

Quit all open applications except the web browser.

Triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it:

/.DocumentRevisions-V100

Right-click or control-click the highlighted line and select

          Services ▹ Open

from the contextual menu. A Finder window should open with an item named ".DocumentRevisions-V100" selected. Move the selected item to the Trash. You may be prompted for your administrator login password. Restart the computer and empty the Trash.

Posted on Mar 14, 2016 4:50 PM

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MrCanadian

Q: Finder says hard drive nearly full... but it's not actually full?

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  • by MrCanadian,

    MrCanadian MrCanadian Mar 14, 2016 3:46 PM in response to KimUserName
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 14, 2016 3:46 PM in response to KimUserName

    From my limited knowledge of what's going on, it seems he deleted the contents of that folder, but not the entire folder itself, had no ill effects, and it at least partially solved his problem (and would likely solve mine entirely).


    Am I correct in stating that deleting the contents of the .DocumentRevisions-v100 folder (without deleting the folder itself) is a safe thing to do and would solve my issue?

  • by OGELTHORPE,

    OGELTHORPE OGELTHORPE Mar 14, 2016 4:03 PM in response to MrCanadian
    Level 9 (52,710 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 14, 2016 4:03 PM in response to MrCanadian

    Here are instructions how to delete .DocumentRevisions-V100"

     

    http://osxdaily.com/2012/02/20/clear-versions-history-auto-save-cache-data-in-ma c-os-x/

     

    Ciao.

  • by MrCanadian,

    MrCanadian MrCanadian Mar 14, 2016 4:20 PM in response to OGELTHORPE
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 14, 2016 4:20 PM in response to OGELTHORPE

    Thanks for that link.

     

    It sounds relatively straightforward, but by the end of the article it begins to sound... kind of dangerous. The three comments at the bottom of the page also seem to cast a bit of doubt.

     

    Could I get any verification from the brilliant people here that doing this will be safe?

  • by Linc Davis,Solvedanswer

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Mar 14, 2016 4:50 PM in response to MrCanadian
    Level 10 (208,037 points)
    Applications
    Mar 14, 2016 4:50 PM in response to MrCanadian

    For information about document versioning, see this support article. The database that stores past versions of your documents has become excessively large.

    Please back up all data before making any changes.

    It may not be easy to solve the problem without deleting the whole database, clearing all past versions (but not the current ones.) Often there is one document, or perhaps a few, that is large and has a long revision history, taking up most of the space. It could be a Pages document or a Keynote presentation with a lot of graphics, for example. If you know or can guess which document that is, delete most or all of its past versions as directed in the support article linked above.

    If the problem isn't solved that way, see below. All past document versions will be cleared. Current versions won't be affected.

    Quit all open applications except the web browser.

    Triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it:

    /.DocumentRevisions-V100

    Right-click or control-click the highlighted line and select

              Services ▹ Open

    from the contextual menu. A Finder window should open with an item named ".DocumentRevisions-V100" selected. Move the selected item to the Trash. You may be prompted for your administrator login password. Restart the computer and empty the Trash.

  • by MrCanadian,

    MrCanadian MrCanadian Mar 14, 2016 5:27 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 14, 2016 5:27 PM in response to Linc Davis

    When I do as suggested, I get an empty Finder window, and the folder has a "do not enter" sign on it. I've attached a screenshot to show what I see. Must I do something before the suggested solution?

     

    Screen Shot 2016-03-14 at 8.25.40 PM.png

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Mar 14, 2016 5:45 PM in response to MrCanadian
    Level 10 (208,037 points)
    Applications
    Mar 14, 2016 5:45 PM in response to MrCanadian

    Drag the folder icon from the title bar of the window to the Trash.

  • by MrCanadian,

    MrCanadian MrCanadian Mar 14, 2016 8:38 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 14, 2016 8:38 PM in response to Linc Davis

    Thanks, problem fixed!

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