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disk full

how do you delete items from your disk when it is full. I have tried deleting and it says i can not delete because the disck is full. Now what?

MacBook Air

Posted on Nov 28, 2021 6:32 AM

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Posted on Nov 28, 2021 8:21 AM

That is what happens when you fill up your disk - your computer cannot function. Your disk isn't just storage space - it also contains the OS and system files which need a minimum of 15 - 20 GB of empty space to function properly.


You can try to boot into recovery and delete files from there or you can boot into an external clone and then try to delete files from your disk. If either work, at least get rid of 3 - 5 GB worth of files so you can then boot normally and delete more files. If you have a good backup, you can also try to boot into recovery and erase your entire disk and then reinstall. Be careful though if you want to restore from your backup: do not restore everything or you will wind up with the same problem.

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Question marked as Best reply

Nov 28, 2021 8:21 AM in response to shaquan178

That is what happens when you fill up your disk - your computer cannot function. Your disk isn't just storage space - it also contains the OS and system files which need a minimum of 15 - 20 GB of empty space to function properly.


You can try to boot into recovery and delete files from there or you can boot into an external clone and then try to delete files from your disk. If either work, at least get rid of 3 - 5 GB worth of files so you can then boot normally and delete more files. If you have a good backup, you can also try to boot into recovery and erase your entire disk and then reinstall. Be careful though if you want to restore from your backup: do not restore everything or you will wind up with the same problem.

disk full

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