kaimckenna
Level 1 (1 points)

Q: Im trying to import photos and it says disk space full

help me i don't know what to do

MacBook Pro, OS X Mavericks (10.9.1)

Posted on Nov 11, 2015 1:48 PM

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kaimckenna

Q: Im trying to import photos and it says disk space full

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  • by léonie,Helpful

    léonie léonie Nov 11, 2015 2:20 PM in response to kaimckenna
    Level 10 (108,148 points)
    iCloud
    Nov 11, 2015 2:20 PM in response to kaimckenna

    How much free storage is on the disk where you are keeping your Photos library?  If your Photos library is in your Pictures folder and you are having less than 10GB free storage on your system drive, you need to free space, before you can import more photos.  Relocate large meda files to an external drive.

     

    Where are you importing from? From a mobile device? A camera?

     

    If you are having plenty of free storage o the drive with the library, check the Photos > Preferences > Importing.

     

    If "Importing > Copy photos into the Photos Library" should be disabled, You might be getting this warning, because Photos may not be able to write to the card or iPhone.  Then enable the "Importing" preference.

  • by kaimckenna,

    kaimckenna kaimckenna Nov 11, 2015 2:20 PM in response to léonie
    Level 1 (1 points)
    Nov 11, 2015 2:20 PM in response to léonie

    I don't know how to tell how much free storage is on the disk. I don't know if my photos library is in my pictures folder. I am importing them by airdropping the photos from my phone to my laptop (I do this because my iPhoto is broken and cannot import from my phone when it is connected, I have been into the mac store multiple times and no one can fix it.) So under importing should i uncheck copy photos in to the photo library?

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Nov 11, 2015 2:34 PM in response to kaimckenna
    Level 10 (108,148 points)
    iCloud
    Nov 11, 2015 2:34 PM in response to kaimckenna
    So under importing should i uncheck copy photos in to the photo library?

    No, keep this enabled.

    I don't know how to tell how much free storage is on the disk.

    Click the  menu in the upper left corner of your screen, select "About this Mac".

    I the "About" panel click "Storage". It will you show your disks and how much free storage you are having.  What do you see?

     

    Screen Shot 2015-11-11 at 23.31.40GMT.png

  • by kaimckenna,

    kaimckenna kaimckenna Nov 11, 2015 2:44 PM in response to léonie
    Level 1 (1 points)
    Nov 11, 2015 2:44 PM in response to léonie

    Screen Shot 2015-11-11 at 5.43.31 PM.png

    hahah okay how do i get rid of all the yellow?

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Nov 11, 2015 2:54 PM in response to kaimckenna
    Level 10 (108,148 points)
    iCloud
    Nov 11, 2015 2:54 PM in response to kaimckenna
    hahah okay how do i get rid of all the yellow?

    The yellow are movies.  Where are you storing your movies? Are you using iMove to edit movies? Or are your movies in iTunes or Photos?

     

    Move the movies to an external drive.

    In iPhoto you will see the movies in the album "Videos". You can copy them to a different drive by selecting them and using the command "File > Export", then select a folder on a different drive as the destination.  Then delete the them from the Photos library, and don't forget to empty the "Recently Deleted" album.

     

    Your first priority should be to free storage on the Mac.  With the free storage so low you are risking crashes and data loss. That is critically low.

  • by kaimckenna,

    kaimckenna kaimckenna Nov 11, 2015 3:17 PM in response to léonie
    Level 1 (1 points)
    Nov 11, 2015 3:17 PM in response to léonie

    But i like to have them on my iPhoto. and also I've deleted a bunch and nothing is working

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Nov 11, 2015 8:41 PM in response to kaimckenna
    Level 10 (108,148 points)
    iCloud
    Nov 11, 2015 8:41 PM in response to kaimckenna

    and also I've deleted a bunch and nothing is working

    Have you emptied the Trash in the Dock as well?

    Do you still have the original iPhoto Library  that you migrated to Photos in your Pictures folder?

    Then move that library too from your internal drive to an external dive. As long as the videos are still in your iPhoto library, deleting them from Photos will not free any storage, because the photos in the library are linked, see: Photos saves disk space by sharing images with your iPhoto or Aperture libraries - Apple Support


    But i like to have them on my iPhoto.

    iPhoto? Your question is in the Photos for Mac forum. SO are you using iPhoto or Photos?

     

    You could move the complete Photos library (or iPhoto library) to a different drive, then all items will still be together, but off your drive.