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Trash Can emptying OK, but with no corresponding increase in the space on my iMac SSD

Most of my computer usage relates to digital image work using Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop.

The iMac SSD saves the Lightroom catalogs. All of the resultant images are stored on two 10Tb external hard drives, one of which is used as a backup for the other.

Image deletions are set up within Lightroom & made across to the trash can. This has always worked successfully in the past, & I do things this way so that I can later save these images as copies to trash folders set up on the two external hard drives.

On subsequently finally deleting these images recently & any other items from the trash can on my iMac, the subsequent storage space shown in Finder no longer increases.

I have tried Cocktail to see if this helps, but so far without luck.

Any help please?

Richard


iMac Line (2012 and Later)

Posted on Sep 6, 2020 6:49 AM

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Posted on Sep 6, 2020 7:50 AM

SSDs do not release the used storage space immediately. The garbage collection routine must run to clear the storage space and ready it for use, again. That does take some time. I would imagine it should be able to clear that space overnight.

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4 replies

Sep 6, 2020 1:54 PM in response to Barney-15E

Thank you for your helpful & prompt response.

The problem with the storage space has been occurring for in excess of several days now, so I don't believe that it's actually happening just because of SSDs having a different garbage collection routine.

Nevertheless I'll wait for a few days to see if it gets any better.

Many thanks.


Richard

Sep 8, 2020 9:26 AM in response to Barney-15E

Thank you again Barney.

Only around 40% of the SSD space has been used & when replacing the original iMac Fusion drive with an SSD approx. 3 years ago, I think on reflection I could easily have managed with a 250 or 500Gb SSD instead of 1Tb. I just wasn't sure so I chose the latter option.

Anyway in the last couple of days your suggestion that SSDs are sometimes reluctant to release working space, seems to be very true indeed, the Finder status bar now shows 559.12Gb available. I was getting readings (sometimes not changing that regularly) in the past couple of weeks in the 530 to 540Gb range.

Maybe, the idea that something else has caused a problem is connected with Lightroom & Photoshop processing of relatively large images & deleting those, including substantial adjustments, which just haven't worked.

Kind regards,


Richard Firth

Trash Can emptying OK, but with no corresponding increase in the space on my iMac SSD

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