Maximizing Space: How to Clear Space Photoshop Takes Up (2024)

Adobe Photoshop, one of the most popular and powerful digital editing software, can often take up significant hard drive space. This can be due to cache files, temporary files, saved states, and more.

In this tutorial, we will show you some simple and easy-to-understand methods for clearing up space taken up by Adobe Photoshop.

In this article, you will learn:

1. What Causes Photoshop to Take up Space?
2. How to Clear the Space Photoshop Takes Up?
3. Final Thoughts About Clearing the Space Photoshop Takes Up

What Causes Photoshop to Take up Space?

Before we jump into how to reduce the space Photoshop occupies, it's important to understand what contributes to its storage usage:

• Installation Files: When you install Photoshop, it requires a certain amount of disk space to store the program files, resources, and necessary components.
• Temporary and Auto-Recovery Files: Photoshop creates temporary and auto-recovery files while you are working on projects. These files are meant to provide a safety net in case of unexpected crashes or power outages.
• Cache: Photoshop generates cache files to improve performance by storing temporary data. These files can accumulate over time and occupy a significant amount of space.
• Preferences and Settings: Photoshop saves user preferences and settings, which can take up some space over time, especially if you have customized presets or saved a large number of brushes, patterns, or styles.
• Scratch Disk: Photoshop uses a scratch disk as virtual memory when working with large files or performing resource-intensive tasks. The size of the scratch disk can contribute to the space occupied by Photoshop.
• Plugins and Extensions: If you have installed additional plugins or extensions for Photoshop, they can occupy space on your computer.

It's worth noting that the amount of space taken up by Photoshop can vary depending on the version you are using and your usage patterns. Regularly cleaning up unnecessary files, optimizing cache settings, and managing scratch disk usage can help free up space occupied by Photoshop.

How to Clear the Space Photoshop Takes Up?

As you may have noticed, Photoshop can gradually consume a significant amount of storage over time due to various factors. In this chapter, we will explore effective techniques to reclaim that valuable disk space and optimize your Photoshop installation.

By following the steps outlined here, you will be able to free up room for your creative endeavors and ensure smoother performance within the application. So, let's dive in and learn how to clear the space Photoshop takes up!

1. Optimize the Photoshop Installation Process

To optimize the Photoshop installation process and save more space on your computer, you can follow these steps:

• Selective Installation: During the installation process, Photoshop provides options to selectively install certain components or features. Consider choosing only the necessary components and deselecting any optional ones that you don't require. This will help reduce the overall disk space usage.
• Custom Installation Location: By default, Photoshop installs to the system drive. However, if you have multiple drives or partitions on your computer, you can choose a different installation location with more available space. Select a drive that has ample free space to accommodate Photoshop and its associated files.
• Remove Unnecessary Languages: Photoshop includes language packs for various languages, which can consume a significant amount of space. If you only use Photoshop in a specific language, you can uninstall or remove the language packs for other languages.
• Regular Updates: Adobe frequently releases updates for Photoshop, which often include performance enhancements and bug fixes. Keeping your Photoshop version up to date ensures you have the latest optimizations and improvements, which can help save space and enhance overall performance.

2. Delete Temporary and Auto-Recovery Files in Photoshop

By following these steps, you can effectively delete temporary and auto-recovery files in Photoshop, helping to free up storage space on your computer and maintain a more streamlined workflow.

Temporary Files in Photoshop

• Close Adobe Photoshop if it's open. This is to ensure that no ongoing projects are affected.
• Open the File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac).
• Navigate to this path: C:\Users\[Your Username]\AppData\Local\Temp for Windows or ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/ for Mac.
• Look for any files or folders with Photoshop or Adobe in their names.
• Delete these files or folders. If any files can't be deleted because they're in use, skip them.

Please note that if you cannot locate the mentioned folders above, it may be because your computer has hidden them. To proceed with the next steps, please click on the option to view hidden.

Auto-recovery Files in Photoshop

• Open Photoshop: Launch the Photoshop application on your computer.
• Access Preferences: Go to the "Edit" menu at the top of the screen (for Windows) or the "Photoshop" menu (for Mac). From the drop-down menu, select "Preferences" and then choose "File Handling".
• Set Auto-Recovery Options: In the "File Handling" preferences window, locate the "Automatic Save and Recovery" section. Here, you can adjust the frequency of auto-recovery saves or disable it entirely by unchecking the "Automatically Save Recovery Information Every [X] Minutes" option.

3. Clear Cache Files in Photoshop

Clearing Photoshop's cache is another effective way to free up space:

• Open Adobe Photoshop.
• Open any document (this allows access to the necessary menu items).
• Click on Edit in the menu bar.
• Hover over Purge, then in the submenu, you'll see four options: Clipboard, Histories, Video Cache, and All. Click on All.
• A dialog box will pop up asking if you want to delete the cache. Click OK.

4. Optimize Preferences and Settings in Photoshop

To optimize preferences and settings in Photoshop and reduce its footprint on your computer, you can follow the methods below:

Go to the "Edit" menu at the top of the screen (for Windows) or the "Photoshop" menu (for Mac). From the drop-down menu, select "Preferences".

In the "Preferences" window, you will find various tabs on the left side. Start with the "General" tab. Here, you can customize settings such as the interface color, cursor options, and more.

Adjust these settings according to your preferences, keeping in mind that minimizing resource-intensive options can help reduce Photoshop's footprint.

Within the Preferences panel in Photoshop, there is a particularly important section called Performance Preferences. This section allows you to optimize the performance of Photoshop while minimizing its impact on system resources.

Here are the specific parameter settings：

• Memory Usage: Adjust the "Let Photoshop Use" slider to allocate the amount of RAM that Photoshop can utilize. Set it to an optimal value that balances performance and the availability of system resources.
• Graphics Processor Settings: If your computer has a compatible graphics processor, make sure the "Use Graphics Processor" option is enabled. This can offload certain processing tasks to the GPU and improve performance. However, if you encounter issues, you can disable this option.
• History States: The number of history states determines how many steps you can undo in Photoshop. Lowering the number of history states can reduce the amount of memory Photoshop consumes. By default, this is set to 50 states, but you can reduce it to a lower number like 20 or 10.
• Cache Levels: The cache levels determine the quality of image previews. Lower cache levels can reduce disk space usage and improve performance. Set this value to a lower level if you don't require high-quality previews.

5. Clear a Scratch Disk in Photoshop

Clearing your Photoshop scratch disk is essential to free up extra hard drive space. This is achieved by deleting unnecessary files or moving them to another storage location.

By default, Photoshop uses the operating system's internal drive as the scratch disk. If you have multiple drives or partitions, make sure to select the fastest drive with the most available space as your scratch disk. Here's how you can do this:

• Open Photoshop and navigate to Edit > Preferences > Scratch Disks.
• Check the box next to the drive you want to use as your new scratch disk.
• Click OK and restart Photoshop for the changes to take effect.

By selecting a different drive as your scratch disk, you can also address the "scratch disk is full" issue. Maintaining a clean and efficient workspace in Photoshop not only ensures smooth operation but also extends the life of your hard drive.

6. Optimize Plugins and Extensions in Photoshop

To optimize plugins and extensions in Photoshop and reduce space usage, you can follow these steps:

• Assess Installed Plugins and Extensions: Start by reviewing the plugins and extensions you have installed in Photoshop. Consider whether you actually use all of them regularly or if some are no longer needed.
• Disable or Remove Unused Plugins and Extensions: For plugins or extensions that you don't use anymore, consider disabling or removing them.
• Update Plugins and Extensions: Check the respective developer's website for updates or use the Adobe Creative Cloud application to manage updates. Updated plugins and extensions often include performance optimizations and bug fixes, which can help reduce their space usage.

Final Thoughts About Clearing the Space Photoshop Takes Up

By following the steps above, you can effectively reduce the amount of space Adobe Photoshop uses on your computer. This can help your computer run more smoothly and make room for other important files. Regularly maintaining these steps can ensure optimal performance for your Photoshop and your computer.

As we conclude our guide on how to clear the space Photoshop takes up, we hope you have found it useful and easy to follow. Implementing these steps will not only free up valuable storage space, but will also help optimize your Photoshop performance.

Speaking of enhancing your Photoshop experience, we'd like to introduce a product that you might find interesting: TourBox.

TourBox is a custom-designed controller for creative professionals. It offers enhanced efficiency, precision, and intuitive control, which can be a game-changer for your Photoshop workflow.

With TourBox, you can easily adjust your brush size, zoom in and out, switch between layers, and much more, all at the spin of a dial or the press of a button. It's like having a second hand for Photoshop - it takes care of the mundane tasks leaving you free to focus on your creative process.

Incorporating TourBox into your routine can make the process of editing and creating on Photoshop smoother and faster, thereby enhancing your overall productivity.