How To Fix ‘Startup Disk Almost Full’ on Mac: 6 Solutions

Fix ‘Startup Disk Almost Full’: Your startup disc is almost full error is a common problem that probably happens to every macOS user at least once. The error itself mostly means that your device is running out of space on the primary disc drive, which is bad news because it can affect different processes, the way applications work, and the performance of the computer itself.

These messages can pop up on the screen out of nowhere or when you try to run a programme or install a new tool. Your startup disc is almost full macOS error usually happens after a new OS version comes out, and it has nothing to do with hardware or software problems.

The problem could be that there are too many files on the hard drive, which is shown by the message “Not enough space.” Your startup disc is almost full error, and it will keep getting worse until the system crashes or stops working.

(Fixed) ‘Startup Disk Almost Full’ on Mac

Remove large and old files

1. Open the finder and press Command + F. 
2. Now, click + top right and choose File Size from the dropdown.
3. In the next dropdown, choose is greater than and determine the value (for example, 5MB). You can also sort by Date Last Opened or Kind.
4. Browse the files and send to Trash what you no longer need.

Get rid of localization files

1. Open a Finder window.
2. Go to Applications.
3. Ctrl+click on an application.
4. Select Show Package Contents.

Fix ‘Startup Disk Almost Full’ Clear system storage on Mac

1. Search for large ZIP/RAR archives in Downloads.
2. Open your Desktop (Command + F3) and delete screenshots.
3. In Applications, sort your apps by size. Delete the largest ones.
4. Restart your Mac to free up RAM.
5. Get rid of system junk files

Remove old iOS backups

1. Open a new Finder window.
2. Click your device.
3. In the General tab, click Manage Backups.
4. Right-click the backup you want to delete, then click Show in the menu bar.
5. View the details of the backup before clicking Delete.

Uninstall unused applications

• Open Finder and go to Applications.
• Select the app you want to delete.
• Press Cmd + Delete or click and drag the file to the trash. Repeat the same steps with any other apps you want to delete.
• Empty the Trash to complete the process.

Fix ‘Startup Disk Almost Full’ Clear your Mail Downloads folder

• Press the Command + Space keys on your keyboard to bring up the Spotlight utility. Here, all you have to do is type in “mail downloads” to access the folder.
• Alternatively, you can use the Go to Folder tool and navigate to the ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.mail/Data/Library/Mail folder from the Finder.
• From here, you have a few options:
• To delete all mail attachments, press the Command + A button to select everything and move it to the Trash.
• To only delete attachments from apps you don’t want to keep, manually go through the files listed in this folder and move unwanted attachments to the Trash.

What Is a Startup Disk on Mac?

Your Mac can’t work without the startup disc. Your operating system and all of your software live on this drive. The startup disc is also where your pictures, documents, music, and other projects live. Depending on how much space your startup disc has, you might soon run out of room.

Some Macs have hard drives that can be upgraded, but many do not. Because of this, your Mac’s internal storage is all on your primary startup disc. If you need to store a lot of files, you can always use a cloud storage service like Google Drive or DropBox, or you can use an external backup device like a USB flash drive or external hard drive.

But your startup disc is important for your system to run smoothly. Your computer’s main functions are controlled by the important operating software that is on your startup disc. In normal situations, your operating system writes files to your drive and deletes them when it needs to.