IMovie not enough disk space but there is

Summary: From this guide, you will know why the iMovie says there is not enough disk space and how to fix the error in 6 ways.

iMovie is a free video editing software that comes with macOS. It is the tool of choice for most Mac users to make and edit videos. However, some users reflect that they encounter insufficient disk space errors when using iMovie. If you are facing such a problem, look no further than this blog post. We will walk you through why iMovie is iMovie saying not enough disk space and how to fix it in 6 ways.

IMovie not enough disk space but there is

Reasons Behind the Not Enough Disk Space Error in iMovie

The main reason for the not enough disk space error is that your disk is full or almost full. Although iMovie is not a large program, you still need at least 25GB of free space to make sure it runs properly. When you use iMovie to make videos, it creates a large number of cache files and temporary files on your Mac. Over time, these files pile up and take up a lot of your valuable storage space, leaving you with little available space to import or export videos.

But this may not be the case. There are also users who claim that even if there is enough free disk space, iMovie will still prompt an error of insufficient disk space. In this case, you may need to check for iMovie updates and update it to the latest version.

How to Clear iMovie Disk Space on Mac

Now that you know why iMovie says there is insufficient disk space, let's see how to solve this problem. Here are 6 ways you can try.

1. Clean up Your Disk Space

Like we mentioned above, insufficient storage space is the main factor that causes this error. The safest way to free up disk space is to clear the junk files on your Mac. Some of the junk files are caches in the system, browsers, and applications, logs, duplicates, disk images, and files in the Trash.

Indeed, you can go to the Finder to manually search for and delete files or applications you don't need. But this process can be time-consuming. Here, we would like to introduce you to an easier way to do this, using BuhoCleaner, a simple and practical cleaner for Mac. This tool allows you to find tens of gigabytes of junk files in one click. All you need to do is select the files you want to get rid of and click the Remove button. Click the button below to have a try now.

Want to learn more about how to free up your Mac storage space? Here is an article for you.

Related Article: 8 Ways to Free Disk Space on Mac

2. Delete Outdated iMovie Projects

You may have created many projects in iMovie. Since some of them may be outdated and useless to you, clearing them will free up some valuable space for you.

How to Delete iMovie Projects:

  1. Open iMovie via Spotlight or Launchpad.
  2. Find the project you want to remove.
  3. Click the 3-dot menu next to the project name and choose Delete Project.

3. Delete iMovie Library

Another way to solve the iMovie insufficient disk space error is to clear the iMovie Library, where all video clips and photos are stored. If your iMovie Library is too big and you want to free up some space on your Mac, you can delete the unneeded files in it.

How to Clear iMovie Library:

  1. Launch iMovie and open a project.
  2. Click the iMovie Library in the sidebar, and you will find all the clips saved by iMovie.
  3. Select the clips you want to remove, right-click one of them, and choose Delete Media from Event.

4. Delete Render Files

Rendered files in iMovie also take up your disk space. Deleting them will not cause any damage to your video but may temporarily affect performance until the render files are regenerated.

Here are the steps:

  1. Click the iMovie menu and select Preferences.
  2. Click the Delete button next to Fender Files and click the Delete button in the new pop-up window.

5. Update/Reinstall iMovie

If you have enough disk space but still encounter this message, you can update or reinstall iMovie to resolve the issue.

To update iMove, just go to Apple Store, check iMovie updates, and click the Update button.

To reinstall iMovie, you have to uninstall it from your Mac completely first. Here's what you need to do:

  1. Open the Finder and locate iMovie in the Applications folder.
  2. Move its icon to the Trash.
  3. Click the Go menu in Finder and select Library. (If you don't see the Library option, hold down the Option key while using the Go menu and Library will appear.)
  4. Locate iMovie-related files in the folders including Preferences, Caches, Container, and Application Support, and move them to the Trash.
  5. Empty the Trash.

Don't forget to try BuhoCleaner if you think it is too troublesome to uninstall iMovie manually. Download it from here.

6. Move iMovie Library Files to An External Drive

By default, the iMovie Library is in the Movies folder in your Home directory. You can quickly locate it by clicking Finder > Movies. Though it's difficult to change the default location of the iMovie Library, you can move the files in iMovie Library to an external drive.

IMovie not enough disk space but there is

Simply connect an external drive on your Mac and manually drag the files from the iMovie Library to the external drive you insert. Once all the important data are moved, you can delete the files in iMovie Library to fix the problem.

Conclusion

Hopefully, you have fixed the iMovie not enough disk space error by using one or more ways above.

The BuhoCleaner we mentioned in the article is a handy Mac cleaner and app uninstaller. No matter what situation you need to clean up your Mac, you can give it a try.

If you find this post helpful, do share it with your friends.

Why does iMovie say there is not enough disk space?

Reduce iMovie Disk Space These files may include iMovie caches, junk files, useless iMovie clips, Trash files, and other unnecessary files and applications. You can manually find and delete such files in the Finder option. To save time, you can also go for a cleaner for Mac to remove caches.

Why does my Mac keep saying not enough disk space when there is?

This conflict could be attributed to the so-called “purgeable” space. It's basically the space taken by all the unnecessary stuff that can be purged and converted into free storage. One way to free up your purgeable space is to disable iCloud drive optimization.

How do you clear disk space on iMovie?

Clear disk space in iMovie.
Open iMovie and select Preferences..
Select Delete by Render Files..
Confirm deletion..

How do I empty my iMovie library on Mac?

Here's how to do it:.
Locate the videos you want to delete. You will either find these in individual projects under Project Media or in events under iMovie Library in the side menu..
Control-click the file you want to delete and select Delete Media from Event..
Confirm that you want to remove the clip and click Delete..