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macOS No space left on device when there is

How to fix 'No space left on device' when there is 150GB free space on internal drive

iMac Line (2012 and Later)

Posted on Nov 29, 2022 8:16 AM

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2 replies

Dec 1, 2022 10:49 AM in response to showsley2017

Hey there showsley2017,


Do you notice if the storage amount updates after restarting your Mac? If not, test to see if the issue persists in safe mode, which will help rule out possible startup software and items that load at startup. The steps below will help:


Intel processor
1. Turn on or restart your Mac, then immediately press and hold the Shift key as your Mac starts up.
2. Release the key when you see the login window, then log in to your Mac. 
3. You might be asked to log in again. On either the first or second login window, you should see ”Safe Boot” in the upper-right corner of the window.

How to use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support


If it doesn't update the amount properly, test to see if this is a system-wide issue by creating a new user and checking there: Change Users & Groups settings on Mac - Apple Support


Should this persist, provide more details on where you're seeing this error and any other specifics that you feel will help.


Take care!



Dec 2, 2022 5:54 AM in response to showsley2017

Hello hc1111


Thanks for your suggestion. My question did not explain the problem clearly enough ...


The error dialogue 'No space left on device' occurred when attempting to add data to the internal drive eg attempting a macOS update or trying to compress a large file.


There was free space on the startup volume - confirmed in Disk Utility and in  About this Mac/Storage.


In this instance, for me, the quickest resolution to the issue was to start up from the built-in macOS Recovery system - CMD(⌘)+R - and then follow the dialogue to Reinstall macOS.


After the reinstall and restart there were no further 'No space left on device' problems.

macOS No space left on device when there is

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